#valjean's inner turmoils

[ginkovskij]

"that mysterious man was jean valjean" i would have never imagined, victor, not from the ten previous chapters about jean valjean, not from the title of the current chapter that contains the name of jean valjean, not from —

#i hate it in here #hugo playing cool and mysterious to the reader 'what was he thinking about?' as if he didn't literally just wrote thirty pages about #valjean's inner turmoils #victor hugo i want to push you down in the seine #notes of a countryside dandy

[algumaideia]

Victor Hugo is trying really hard to make me feel bad for Jean Valjean after he stole from Gervais, but he failed. I'll hold this grudge against Valjean forever.

#les miserables #jean valjean #or idk maybe he will do something to redeem himself #but this inner turmoil is no excuse for stealing from a child you jerk

[fatecanberewritten]

Probe, at certain moments, the ghastly pale face of a human being immersed in thought, and look behind it, look into that soul, look into that obscurity. There, beneath that outward silence, are battling giants, as in Homer, tumultuous dragons and hyrdas and phantom hosts, as in Milton, visionary vortices, as in Dante. What a solemn thing is this infinity that every man bears within him and against which he measures with despair the wishes of his brain and the action of his life!

Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (transl. C. Donougher)

#quotes #les misérables #les mis #les miserables #victor hugo #hugo #classics #literature #jean valjean #thought #inner turmoil #suffering #strength

[cliozaur]

This is such a beautiful chapter in terms of presenting the inner turmoil of a man who is going through a revelation and a transformation. It is a bit similar to the "Javert Derailed" chapter (but this one is much shorter).

Rereading it this time, it dawned upon me that Jean Valjean’s revelation about his former self stayed with him for the rest of his life. He will always see himself the way he saw himself after the Little Gervais incident:

"At the moment when he exclaimed 'I am a wretch!' he had just perceived what he was, and he was already separated from himself to such a degree that he seemed to himself to be no longer anything more than a phantom. It was as if he had, there before him, in flesh and blood, the hideous galley-convict, Jean Valjean, cudgel in hand, his blouse on his hips, his knapsack filled with stolen objects on his back, with his resolute and gloomy visage, with his thoughts filled with abominable projects."

It speaks volumes about his self-loathing. And then:

"His past life, his first fault, his long expiation, his external brutishness, his internal hardness, his dismissal to liberty, rejoicing in manifold plans of vengeance, what had happened to him at the Bishop’s, the last thing that he had done, that theft of forty sous from a child, a crime all the more cowardly and monstrous since it had come after the Bishop’s pardon—all this recurred to his mind and appeared clearly to him, but with a clarity which he had never hitherto witnessed. He examined his life, and it seemed horrible to him; his soul, and it seemed frightful to him. In the meantime, a gentle light rested over this life and this soul. It seemed to him that he beheld Satan by the light of Paradise."

This is exactly how he will see himself for the most part in the future, despite all his good deeds, generosity, kindness, and redemption. And this is how he will present himself to Marius in the last chapters of the book. It is profoundly sad.

#les mis letters #lm 1.2.13 #les miserables #jean valjean #javert

[dolphin1812]

The animal imagery in this chapter is fascinating. We start off with Valjean as a cat: somewhat sneaky and furtive, but also gentle (” He pushed it gently with the tip of his finger, lightly, with the furtive and uneasy gentleness of a cat which is desirous of entering.”). His gentleness is, in part, tied to stealth, but it also seems to come from his continued indecision. Even though Valjean is moving, which suggests that he will steal, Hugo repeatedly mentions his inner turmoil and how confused he feels, especially when he sees the bishop sleeping peacefully. I especially like the line about Valjean “hesitating between the two abysses,—the one in which one loses one’s self and that in which one saves one’s self.” An abyss raises the idea of “falling,” which, in a Christian sense, is typically associated with evil (some definitions for the word “abyss” even mention Hell). Yet here, both the “good” and “bad” option contain an abyss. I’m not entirely sure how to interpret it, but to return to the drowning imagery from earlier, perhaps it relates to dying/losing oneself to be reborn in a way one can’t return from? Valjean doesn’t seem to be very hopeful at this point, so perhaps he feels that stealing here (while justified in the broad societal sense he’s described) seals his fate as an outsider, especially since he’s harming the only person who’s helped him. Thus, he’ll be trapped in an “abyss” for stealing, but he also would lose his self-definition - his anger at society - if he didn’t do it.

Although Valjean’s made up his mind to steal in some ways by leaving his room, in reality, he still has chances to return. And of course, his fear of being caught heightens his anxiety. Yet once he’s stolen the silver, he becomes “like a tiger.” No longer linked to a tame feline, he also stops caring about noise, which adds to the image of wildness associated with a tiger. To an extent, the tiger reflects his strength over his caution here. While the “cat” describes his stealth, the tiger describes how he leaps over a wall. As a larger animal, tigers are stronger, so this makes sense to an extent. But I think the domesticated aspect is particularly intriguing. Cats can be indoor animals, accustomed to life around people. Even when living outside, they can return to homes without much trouble. Tigers, however, are completely wild. In making his decision to steal, Valjean moves himself from in between society and “the wild” (as a cat) to definitively in the wild.

Another interesting image: the hinge that “was barking like a dog to arouse every one, and warn and to wake those who were asleep.” This is the second time we’ve seen Valjean struggle with a dog (literally the first time, metaphorically now). Of course, the first time mainly highlighted how Valjean was treated as inhuman. But dogs are, in some ways, the ultimate domesticated animal. They do not only live with people outdoors or indoors like cats, but are trusted to protect the interests of people - like the guard dog the hinge represents here. Dogs, then, can represent how Valjean is outside of society through being dehumanized, but they also are the ones who guard/enforce the rules of society itself.

Spoilers below:

Seeing the dog imagery this early on is especially interesting given the images around Javert, who combines both aspects of dogs: he’s part of the dehumanizing system of prisons from birth, but he also guards society (while not being part of it because of the former reason). 

#les mis letters #lm 1.2.11 #jean valjean #javert

[pilferingapples]

Started watching I Mis 1948 today, and it is. A RIDE.

It starts with Valjean stealing the bread , at which point he is SHOT , apparently to no ill effect, since he's then put to work, shirtless and unmarked, in the galleys

which he tries to escape with an EXPLOSION and STEALING A RAIL CART that he CRASHES INTO A BARRIER before swinging down a cliff and onto horseback!! whence he rushes off again! and is shot AGAIN and the horse...dies?? but NOT HIM

then he leads a prison revolt!!

Unfortunately once he's released, he's rather dull as Valjeans go--the actor basically didn't WANT to play Valjean, with all his inner turmoil, he wanted to be a Dashing Hero!-- to the point that he refused to wear torn clothes, afraid it would ruin his Image to be seen in rags.

(the clothes throughout are pretty good! not Gentleman Jack level maybe, but solidly recognizable for the period. They even give the women bonnets! and period-reasonable hairstyles!)

Javert is also tragically Meh, no menace or sense of presence at all, really; he WOULD be very plausible at being in disguise because even in uniform it's easy to miss that he's there :/

The best part of this adaptation so far is how it handles Fantine's storyline--we see her fired (for always being late , because she's ...going to visit Cosette on weekends??? I am hoping SO HARD that that will pay off in an altered story, I don't need canon faithfulness in this movie, Fantine Be Happy AU ) , and then cut to her walking the street and having her fight with Bamatabois; from there, Valjean steps in--

and then FANTINE GETS TO TELL US HER BACKSTORY, with her own interpretation of it! We get a lovely 1817 flashback, we get to here her sorrow and her determination FROM HER, she gets to take the starring role in her own story and even if the movie screws up everything from this point on, I love it for that.

anyway like I said, most of the Valjean story is pretty Meh, rote stuff performed at an OK level, but we DO get to see Valjean, in his turmoil over Champmathieu, consult his Spiritual Adviser:

SISTER SIMPLICE, SCIENCE NUN!!

(seriously, she DOES take on a more active role in this as his spiritual adviser AND a real medical scientist AND she gets to talk about her faith a little?? this version is doing great by the women in it so far)

ANYWAY that's the first hour of this series gone by and we haven't even had the trial so I have no idea how this is gonna go

We await the results of the Experiment!

#I Mis 1948 #SCIENCE SIMPLICE #this moves fasters than a lot of them and the set and costumes are great #and I really do love Fantine #there's a Baptistine too!!! #LM 1948

[fellhellion]

Idk how popular this opinion is but. I rlly don’t like the stage blocking choice of some productions having Valjean be physically violent/threatening towards Javert during the scene where he frees him in the barricade 😔 like 😔 “you talk too much, your life is safe in my hands,” isn’t supposed to be undermined by a guy shoving you against a wall w a blade at ur throat😔

#like all jokes about UST aside it’s supposed to be a moment that is the catalyst for Javert going oh FUCK I’ve been wrong about him this #entire time I’m going to compare this man in my mind to an angel now #and I feel personally like physical violence RLLY undermines that point esp since valjean goes into inner turmoil mode when distressed #rather than taking it out on other people #it’s also why I don’t love the chainography even if it makes for some cool promo images and symbolism #I am just a lil hater ig 😔 cannot change 😔 #tunes talks mis

[psalm22-6]

[1] The opening scene, backdrop by Robecchi [2] The scene in the woods that the review liked so much, with backdrop by Cheret (can anyone guess at whether this was the same Cheret who did some pretty sick artwork for a new edition of LM published in 1886?)

Also just to add clearly this guy hates Fantine and the song that he complains about her singing is literally just the song from the book which it seems to me that people actually liked? Because it was reprinted in a bunch of newspapers. 

Source: Le Figaro, 24 March 1878 (3/3)

The critique having been given, and that part being unfortunately very long, I must report with the same frankness the beautiful things included here and there in M. Charles Hugo’s drama and it’s chances for succeeding.

The first two scenes are gripping. The evangelical charity of the Bishop Myriel produces an impression of admiration and kindness that can bring you close to tears.

The 9th scene, where Jean Valjean encounters the little Cosette getting water in the woods of Montfermeil is delightful and we find the poet’s talent for making children speak. That sorrowful and charming idyll, which it hardly five minutes, is worthy of a whole poem, if it were written by the illustrious and patriarchal author of The Art of Being a Grandfather.

The set and decorations of Les Misérables deserve unreserved praise. The set with the fountain which has the distinction of being from the part when Cosette appears from the great woods with its mysterious water source hidden behind the hundred year old tree roots, is a big set piece, as real as a Daubigny and as fresh and poetic as a Corot. It is to M. Cheret that we owe this work. Let us cite again the little village from the first scene, very picturesque and painted by M. Robecchi. And finally, the moving set of the Picpus alley and the spectacle of the gymnastic ascension of the convict who raises the little Cosette at the end of a bit of rope, creating a spectacle that is very strange and moving.

M. Dumaine, who, since the first performance of La Cause Celebre, never takes off his convict’s hat, seems to be condemned to perpetual success. In the most savy way he has acted out the double role of Jean Valjean and M. Madeleine. He certainly acts out with rare talent in the beginning of the play the inner turmoil and wild stupor of a convict who has suffered through 20 terrible years in prison. The “tempest beneath a skull” ought to earn him three encores when the curtain falls.

M. Lacressonnière, charged with playing the Bishop Myriel, only appears in a single scene. That is enough for an actor of his caliber to place himself and to remain in the mind and memory of the public as a first class actor. His simplicity, his charity, his mysterious anointment as the apostle who wins souls for Christ through his radiant goodness, that is what M. Lacressonnière knew to translate with his consummate artistry that is both reverent and respectful to the sacred habit that he wears.

M. Talliade depicts, with his implacable and cold conviction, the idea of the policeman Javert, an honest man but obsessive but not very shrewd, since it suffices to hide behind a door to escape his investigation.

M. Vannoy and Madame Bardy give a realistic savagery to the Thénardier couple.

Madame Daubrun plays with intelligence and truth the small role of Sister Simplice. On this note it should be remarked that Les Misérables cannot be accused of anti-social tendencies because all virtues, all mercies and all devotions are personified in the bishop and in this one Sister of Charity. The plot begins and ends in a house of good: a presbytery and a convent.

Madame Jane Essler, who is not lacking in talent or emotion, could not save the role of Fantine. Her deathbed scene, during which Fantine babbles a song that is less funerary and more never ending, raised amongst the whole audience murmurs of fatigue, impatience, and repulsion. Where these murmurs directed at the actress? I don’t think so. If I understood the public sentiment correctly, they refused to soften their hearts to the dying prostitute because in the theater, like in real life, indulgence does not imply forgetfulness. The poet misses the mark if, in the face of certain misfortunes which are deep but shameful, he exaggerates pity and pushes towards sympathy. Redemption for the fallen woman? So be it. But not by holy assumption.

The little Daubray, who was so remarkable last year in La Cause Celebre, plays Cosette with a naïve and sincere emphasis that is truly surprising in a child of that age. She had been acclaimed as a great actress and she can attribute that in large part to the swift reversal of the audience, who needed to forget the unpleasant agony of Fantine.

#les miserables #les miserables drame #my translation

[lagren0uille]

So I was now thinking about some of the common traits between Hugo’s main “antagonists”, especially Javert and Frollo, but also Cimourdain, and I hadn’t realized the role he may have once again played in establishing one of my favorite type - aka characters with a very well established and intransigent set of values, whose sense of self and moral integrity gets violently shattered by their encounter with An Other (TM). They then try to deal with it by ‘domesticating’ the threat, which ultimately leads to their downfall - because of course people have their own sets of values, and resist forceful assimilation in another’s vision of the world.

In Frollo’s case this takes the form of a dark epiphany - the fateful apparition of Esmeralda dancing on the place, dark hair and golden skin, which completely undoes his understanding of himself and of the hierarchies of the world. He attempts to “reestablish order” by first trying to get rid of her and then, when he has accepted his downfall, by trying to possess her (make her fit in this new, tainted world of his). But of course it is doomed to fail, because Esmeralda has her own independent sense of self and values, and isn’t simply the external and otherized projection of his inner turmoil, or a thing created to tempt him. So she refuses him, again and again, and when he realizes that he has absolutely no way of assimilating her, he destroys her.

Javert also tries to deal with the grotesque idea that Jean Valjean the convict and Monsieur Madeleine the kind mayor may be one and the same, which is in complete contradiction with everything he knows about Justice and society,  by construing a less threatening image of him (the liar and the crook, the dangerous outcast who needs to be contained before he further endangers the social order). The difference with Frollo is that, when Valjean does this one thing to him that makes it impossible to further escape the truth, he does no destroy the man, but himself.

Cimourdain is a bit different too. His undoing doesn’t take the form of a dreadful encounter but of the discovery, in the actions of a young man he passionately loves and with whom he thought to be in completely harmony, of an incompatible principle of action. Gauvain saving the enemy doesn’t only force him to confront the fact that there may be several ways of serving the Revolution and its people (out of compassion and love rather than abstract principles), but also that there may be... things which count just as much to him than the cause itself (his love for his student and companion). Unlike Frollo and Javert, however, he reasserts violently his system of values by choosing the death of the person he cares for, and then killing himself. His Ideal holds, it’s just that he doesn’t survive it (and it’s up to the reader to decide whether or not this may prove the ideal wrong - or on the contrary, justify it).

So in those three cases, you have a fanatic trying to deal with a person embodying a form of alterity which he views as an existential threat to his moral, metaphysical or political understanding of the world. And whether they manage to keep their sense of self or not, it ends in either destruction or self destruction - or both.

And I find it very sexy.

#les misérables #quatre ving treize #victor hugo #notre dame de paris #mine

[meta-squash]

Brick Club 1.2.11 “What He Does Next”

Valjean’s weird sort of panic attack here interesting to me because of how he treats his fear. He genuinely is terrified at the sound of the door hinge. But he thinks of it both as a trumpet on judgement day and as a barking dog. The hinge is both a damning judge and a tattletale.

And yet he barely moves. He trembles but he doesn’t flinch or retreat or hyperventilate or anything. He freezes for several long minutes and has an internal freakout but that’s it. He thinks he’s screwed, that he’s going to be caught, but he doesn’t run or even ready his miner’s drill as a weapon; it’s like he’s terrified but also totally resigned to that fact that if he gets caught, he’s just going to go back to the bagne. Recidivism, again, like he really can’t think of any other option because none have ever been presented to him.

(I just googled the trip hammer out of curiosity and learned that its successor the drop hammer was patented in 1842 and rendered it mostly obsolete so props to Hugo for also staying within the timeline bounds in his metaphorical references as well.)

My biblical knowledge, as I’ve mentioned before, is severely lacking, but I know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hugo likens Valjean’s stillness to the pillar of salt, which seems to me to be referencing this entire sequence as Valjean “looking back at Sodom” as he returns to the same sort of actions that put him in prison in the first place. He has this chance to escape his old life in Toulon, but here he is looking back, both in remembering Brevet in the previous chapter, and now returning to old actions. But, unlike Lot’s wife, Valjean is spared because he refrains from violence, and perhaps because, due to the presence of the bishop, he’s able to be pardoned.

The intense contrast between Valjean’s inner turmoil and the “deep calm” that fills the bedroom feels like a motif that is consistently returned to re: Valjean and the bishop. Any time Valjean is freaking out, he seems to invoke the memory of Myriel and calm down a little bit. Also, in the same paragraph, Hugo describes various common objects scattered about Myriel’s room which, to Valjean in the darkness are “indistinct, confused forms,” as thought Valjean is so unaccustomed to regular life at this point that he can’t distinguish objects that, even in the dark, might have been recognizable to other people.

(I’m mildly stuck on the fact that the bishop doesn’t take off his pastoral ring when he sleeps. Does he wake up with little square marks on his face?)

Honestly I’m loving the contrast between Valjean, who fell asleep fully clothed on top of the sheets of the bed and slept only four hours, and Myriel, who is asleep peacefully, under the covers--but he is also nearly completely dressed. While Valjean was completely dressed due to discomfort, Myriel is dressed to keep himself comfortable.

Hugo and his magical soul light. In fact, he barely falls short of straight up going “THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE STORY AND ALSO VALJEAN AND ALSO YOU SO PAY ATTENTION IT’S SYMBOLISM.” As Valjean nears the bed, suddenly the sky clears and Myriel is bathed in light. Hugo nearly makes him saintly, except that he clarifies that this halo was “mild and veiled in an inexpressible twilight.” This makes Valjean’s later veneration of Myriel really interesting to me. We, the audience, know that Myriel has flaws. Valjean doesn’t know this. Valjean will forever think of Myriel in that divine, halo-like light; he doesn’t notice the twilight or the mildness of the halo, only that a halo is there.

“The moral world has no spectacle more powerful than this: a troubled, restless conscience on the verge of committing a crime, contemplating the sleep of a just man.” Also a motif we see a lot in the Brick: someone on the verge of doing something, contemplating the person or people on the opposite end of morality.

Again, Valjean’s thoughts are unknown, even to him. Hugo does this a lot; despite Valjean being the main character of the novel, Hugo obscures so much of his thoughts, either by describing his actions rather than what’s going on in his head, or by straight up saying “yeah, Valjean has no idea what he’s thinking about, so I’m not gonna tell you either.” It’s a weird thing for an omniscient narrator to do with his main character.

Hugo continues the white/black, yes/no motif that he started with the “alternative light and shade” from the last chapter. Valjean is now standing on the precipice of morality. I also very much like that he points out that intense emotion is hard to read: “He seemed ready to either crack this skull or kiss this hand.”

This first part of this chapter is so slow. Valjean creeping through the house, standing stock still for long minutes after the hinge creaks, standing there staring at the sleeping bishop for who knows how long, plus the last chapter’s hour-long meditation on the silver. And then suddenly, everything speeds up, and in one paragraph-long sentence, Valjean steals the silver and escapes.

Hugo precedes this paragraph with an image of the crucifix above the mantel, stretching its arms out “with a benediction for one and a pardon for the other.” Another moment of choice. Valjean has the chance for pardon here, but he doesn’t accept it. Of course he doesn’t, because he has no concept of what’s on the other side. This “free life” he’s been given is still nothing but misery for him. He’s been abused and judged and insulted so much, and disillusioned with the idea of a life after prison, and his concept of religion is in general pretty negative. He doesn’t have a way to imagine a pardon actually sticking, a good deed without conditions, an interaction that doesn’t sour with the realization of what he is. So he grabs the silver and runs, because that’s what his instincts tell him, and at this point it’s the only thing he trusts.

#les miserables #les miserables meta #brickclub #lm 1.2.11 #les mis #les mis meta

[cometomecosette]

US 3rd National Tour, Los Angeles, February 7, 2000: Part 3 (“Fantine’s Arrest,” “The Runaway Cart” and “Who Am I?”)

Joan Amedilla as Fantine, Stephen Bishop as Javert, Ivan Rutherford as Jean Valjean, Trent Blanton as Bamatabois.

Joan’s Fantine is still compelling, even though her voice still tends to sound nasal. Her fear of Bamatabois and her screams of pain as he abuses her are heartrending, as are her pleas to Javert and her anguish over Cosette, but she also shows spirit and ferocity when she fights Bamatabois off and in her furious “M’sieur, don’t mock me now, I pray!” Yet again, though, she doesn’t make any real attempt to seem sick until she faints as the constables pick her up. Although I notice that just before that happens, she reaches out her hand – possibly implying that she’s already slipped into delirium and seeing Cosette.

Trent’s Bamatabois is excellently nasty. The way he erotically strokes Fantine’s arm but then roughly yanks her to him makes it clear why she wants to escape, and his subsequent throwing her around and grabbing her by the hair is brutal.

Stephen’s Javert still sings with a handsome, imposing baritone voice and cuts an appropriately stern, stolid figure.

Ivan’s Valjean is dignified and generally reserved at this point, but still believable. It’s interesting that on “...that I am not your man?” he holds out his hands for Javert to handcuff then and there if he sees fit. His “Who Am I?” is excellently sung and conveys his inner turmoil subtly yet convincingly. By the way, is it just me, or does he look a little bit like Ernest Hemingway? Of course this is irrelevant to his portrayal of Valjean, but I just happened to notice it.

#les mis #les miserables #us tour #3rd national tour #los angeles #2000 #complete performance #part 3 #fantine's arrest #the runaway cart #who am i? #joan almedilla #fantine #trent blanton #bamatabois #stephen bishop #javert #ivan rutherford #jean valjean #tw: abuse #youtube

[gnvocaine]

Brickclub - Fantine 2:13 - Petit-Gervais

Vicky H is once again at it with being about a subtle as a bomb. I just have to laugh at how 2:12 was entirely about conveying Valjean’s confusion and inner turmoil at the Bishop’s act through facial and body expression alone and then Hugo spends the ENTIRETY of 2:13 being like “BY THE WAY VALJEAN FELT CONFLICTED”. 

Hugo really took Anton Chekov’s “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass” and told it where to go istg. I mean, he narrates Valjean’s emotions to us for the first paragraph and then revisits them AFTER he did all the showing and not telling through the encounter with Petit-Gervais. He even says “as we know, [Jean Valjean was] in a state of mind unlike anything he had ever experienced.”  Victor... did you edit this? 

Valjean stealing from a vagrant child too- Hugo really felt the need to lean into the destruction of Valjean’s spirit with a universally despicable act just to really hammer in “BY THE WAY GUYS THIS GUY IS LIKE, REALLY REALLY FAR FROM GOD RN”. The fact that the entire encounter was then retold in the same chapter with an explicit narration of what was in Valjean’s head at the time is also the piece de resistance of authorial neon-anvil dropping. 

I’m seeing which parts I highlighted in the past, and it’s kind of cool to see they’re not the parts I highlighted this time around. Both times, however, all my highlights were towards the end of the chapter, when Hugo is, yes, pushing the point of Valjean’s inner conflict with a disturbing amount of binary symbolism between good and evil, Bishop and Valjean, light and darkness. But he does so with just, incredible command of language despite running a spiritual conversion into the ground. 

The more I re-read this book the more I come to see Hugo as just... a totally flamboyant nerd rather than a stuffy old literary great. And honestly, I love that. I wouldn’t want to read him any other way. You can argue that it has pages of non-essential information and mood-shooting meta-explanations but like,,, he does it damn well.

#brickclub #2:13 #i laughed so hard when he said as we know #YES WE SURE DO #AND WE'RE GONNA KNOW IT AGAIN VICTOR GO ON #les mis

[swiftzeldas]

i'm sorry i don't really know much about your fandoms T_T so... Meg... from Little Women?? (if you're the wrong person for this do JAVERT)

aww i appreciate it! i actually haven’t read little women in ages but i DO actually love meg!!

i love that she knows what she wants and is willing to fight for it JUST as much as her sisters even if her desires are....quieter

i love her capacity for love and how far she can EXTEND that love

i love that she CAN and WILL put people in their place if they need it. quietly. but she’ll do it.

i’m also going to do javert bc i think that will be fun even though thinking of things i like about javert is HARD

in the book he waits for the opportune moment to make his dramatic entrance and i think it’s so funny? king of drama

one time also in the book he disguises himself as a homeless person to see if valjean will give him money and valjean does and they absolutely recognize each other and both are too shocked to do anything about it. this is also incredibly funny.

it’s hard to say i LOVE it because i don’t AGREE with it.....but his inner conflict and turmoil is actually great and makes him a really interesting character and certain actors (will swenson) do a fantastic job portraying the moment his worldview just SHATTERS 

#griseckle #ask #i don't like javert but occasionally he breaks my heart #grisecklie

[cliozaur]

This chapter marks a fascinating shift in Hugo's storytelling. As Valjean enters the moonlit room and finds the bishop slumbering peacefully (I wish I could sleep as soundly), time seems to warp and stretch. We linger with Valjean, trapped in the quiet intensity of the moment. The sleeping bishop, an embodiment of innocence and vulnerability, casts a potent spell on the hardened ex-convict.

Yet, Hugo keeps us guessing. Is Valjean touched? Astonished? Contemptuous? The author meticulously dissects the scene, revealing every detail of the tableau without betraying a hint of Valjean's inner turmoil. "No one could have told what was passing within him, not even himself." This deliberate opacity sets the stage for our enduring relationship with Valjean – a hermetic figure whose motivations remain perpetually shrouded in enigma.

The rest of the chapter reflects this tension between introspection and action. We remain suspended in Valjean's internal struggle, only to be jolted back to a normal pace as he makes his escape with the silver. This final burst of movement punctuates the preceding stillness, leaving us breathless and pondering the ramifications of his choice.

#les mis letters #lm 1.2.11 #les mierables #jean valjean #bishop myriel

[emeraldskulblaka]

Les Mis Concert Cast Review

I saw the show on Monday, September 2, 2019.

First up, the show was absolutely amazing. I read a few mixed to negative reviews before I saw it and therefore was sceptical. No need for that, though - this was an excellent Les Mis concert. It reminded me once again just how much I love this show.

I'll write a detailed review some time in the next few days/weeks, but for now, here's a review of the cast:

John Owen-Jones (alt. Jean Valjean):

Incredibly good, just as expected. I chose Monday for a reason, and it was a good one. Amazing acting and sublime vocals. I can't name any highlight in particular because he was constantly great, and no negative things either. He's JOJ. You expect the best, and he delivers. Also kudos to him for doing the whole stage door line! He was the last one to come out, and I think it took him almost 15 minutes to get to the end of the line.

Michael Ball (Javert):

I'd read quite a few negative things about his portrayal of Javert before, so I didn't know what to expect. He's obviously a great singer and actor and I love his voice dearly, but I had my doubts about the role and if I could see Javert instead of Michael. Well, you see, it was clearly Javert. No doubt. It wasn't Michael just singing his songs. No, he's not the best Javert out there, but he gives a solid performance (acting-wise; vocally, he's brilliant ofc). I liked him throughout the show, and Javert's Suicide was superb. Seriously, that one was unbelievably well done and I was wrecked afterwards. Michael's is a Javert who keeps it together, always, is very collected, but then just explodes at the end.

Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine):

Ah, yet another one I was sceptical towards because of reviews. She's such a sweet Fantine though, very introverted and less emotive than most others - which makes her different. However, I like her interpretation, and I suppose most people who criticise her are just too used to actresses clearly showing their character's emotions or can't personally relate to her version of Fantine. Hers is the inner turmoil - she just can't believe all those things are happening to her of all people, and thinks she's dreaming. And her voice, gosh, Carrie's voice is so beautiful. Sublime. Most beautiful rendition of I Dreamed a Dream that I've ever heard. Again, I can relate to her, but it might be difficult for others and I get why people are saying things like she's 'hardly there' etc. She also signed my copy of 'When the Curtain Falls' for me <3

Rob Houchen (Marius):

Just as expected, he was fantastic. I'd fall in love with his Marius at first sight as well, I think. He's so gentle with both Ep and Cosette. I cried a bit during Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, couldn't help it. The only thing I'll criticise: he didn't really seem to fit in with the Amis. I don't know if it was the director's choice, but he barely interacted with any of them beyond the necessary for the songs.

Bradley Jaden (Enjolras):

Holy shit that guy is good, he reminded me that I'll automatically fall in love with whoever's portraying Enj if he's any good. And wow, he was beyond perfect. I'd have followed him to the barricades as well. He's THE personification of a stage!Enjolras imo, and master of running-up-stairs-in-a-revolutionary-way.

Shan Ako (Éponine):

A real highlight among the cast - she's so unbelievably talented, and this star-studded concert is a great way to show your qualities as a performer. Reminds be a bit of Lea Salonga vocally, but I think I prefer Shan to Lea. You know the way you build you 'perfect' On My Own from various different performances, the version no single person is able to reach? Shan sang my perfect version of the song. She did that. Just wow, I hope her career flourishes and we'll get to listen to her more often!!

Lily Kerhoas (Cosette):

Cosette is so difficult to get right in my eyes, but I liked Lily, I really did. Her voice wasn't one of the (imo) 'annoying' musical theatry soprano voices, she is very pleasant to listen to. Acting-wise I loved that she didn't go for the childish Cosette that's pretty common, but rather for a mature and comforting one (esp when it comes to In My Life and Every Day). It was great to see a French lady playing a French lady!

Matt Lucas & Katy Secombe (the Thénardiers):

Vocally brilliant, Matt was so much better than in the 25th Anniversary, but they were so over the top with their ad-libs. They drowned out Valjean completely when he came to get Cosette, which I didn't like a bit, but the audience absolutely loved them.

Raymond Walsh (Grantaire):

Just a big YES. THAT'S a Grantaire. He had great chemistry with Gavroche, and wasn't too annoying or provocative, just the right amount of everything. It shows that he's played R for a year before the concert imo.

Kayleb Rene-Gray (Gavroche):

So CUTE! I can't even. Reminded me a lot of BBC Gav, very sassy. Totally E and R's adoptive son in barricade heaven.

Go see this concert if you can - it's not a mere 'cash-grab' like I've seen it referred to! It's beautiful, timeless, gorgeous LES MIS!

#les mis #review #john owen jones #michael ball #carrie hope fletcher #rob houchen #bradley jaden #shan ako #lily kerhoas #raymond walsh #matt lucas #katy secombe #kayleb rene-gray

[lizardrosen]

BrickClub 1.6.1-1.6.2

Book Six: Javert

11/22/19 Chapter I. The Beginning of Rest

I’m so glad Fantine gets to sleep in a nice bed without worrying about anything for a little bit, but she has a fever so of course it’s not going to last. Still, she deserves good things!

He went on, answering the first question she had asked him as though he had just heard it “I was praying to the martyr up above.”

And he added in his thoughts: “For the martyr here below.”

I always laugh a little at how heavy-handed Hugo is here, but it’s such a good line that it’s mostly fond laughter.

Javert writes a ~mysterious letter~ to Chabouillet and all the gossipers in town assume it’s his resignation. As an audience who’s familiar with the story we know that he’s really accusing Madeleine of being Jean Valjean, but it’s a pretty reasonable thing to assume for anyone with knowledge of the showdown between the two of them.

Valjean does his best to pay off the Thenardiers so he can retrieve Cosette, but being who and what they are, they use the opportunity to milk as much money out of him as possible. I’m both grossed out and unsurprised that he assumes Valjean only cares about Fantine for the sex. After all, that’s what the (more sensationalist) newspapers report later on. I just want to whack them with a rolled up newspaper.

The nuns are judgmental of Fantine until they hear her deliriously talking about how she’s been a sinner but Cosette is so innocent that “The wings haven’t yet fallen off.” and how happy she is that they’ll be reunited soon. The doctor agrees that she needs to see Cosette again, though his wording is ambiguous about whether it’s going to restore her health, or they don’t have much time because she’s definitely going to die with or without her daughter, but she might as well be happy before the end.

Valjean writes an Important Note for Fantine saying that Thenardier must hand Cosette over to the bearer of the note. 

At this juncture a serious incident occurred. We chip away as best we can at the mysterious block of marble our lives our made of -- in vain; the black vein of destiny always reappears.

I absolutely love this wording, and I’m so glad I’m tracking this motif!

11/23/19 Chapter II. How Jean Can Turn Into Champ

It’s such a massive power play for Valjean to force Javert to wait for him because he’s still mad about how he treated Fantine.

A physiognomist familiar with Javert’s nature, one who had long studied this savage at the service of civilization, this bizarre composite of Roman, Spartan, monk, and corporal, this spy who could not lie, this virgin snitch [...] would have wondered: “What on earth has happened to the man?”

I love how many contradictions this inspector embodies, and the parallels with Enjolras, who’s a priest of the revolution. I also love that we’re told he "was emerging from some huge inner struggle” but don’t get to see that struggle happen, just infer what he must have been struggling against through his dialogue and attitude. It’s a really neat device and works well for this specific kind of character, who makes an effort not to give too much away.

Valjean is really good at masking his reactions when someone touches on his past, and probes for details in a way that makes it look like it’s not really that important to him. It’s a super useful talent, but part of the reason it works so well in this particular case is that Javert is distracted by his own inner turmoil.

I really hate that they use the fact that Champmathieu is confused by everything that’s going on as “proof” that he’s just cunning and good at denying his crimes, instead of... not having done the crimes. And once I get to the actual trial scene they’re just going to treat him Even Worse, I’m sort of already dreading it.

I’m always a little impressed with Javert’s determination to follow the rules and do the right thing as he sees it, and the way he unflinchingly admits that “If I was only good for chastising others and myself, I’d be a miserable swine indeed!” For all his terribly vindictive qualities, he still adheres to a kind of integrity which makes him admirable. (But as others have pointed out before, he’s a Good Cop in a Bad System, so he’s still going to do horrible things as part of that system.)

#BrickClub #les mis #fantine #thenardiers #valjean #javert #long post #i keep trying to keep these short but then there's so many interesting details I want to talk about #motifs for books six and seven will be posted together since this is another short one #champmathieu