#favourite les misérables

[nortism]

Having brain rot about a character so minor that they don’t even show up when you google them (Favourite from Les Misérables)

[la-confrontation]

"sewers tangent my beloved," i say after reading about les amis' deaths

[kaantt]

Ooh Feuilly my beloved, you finally came back in this fucking novel after 200 pages, but you came back just to be killed. My sweet boy I love you so much.

[mossmx]

Lewisvert wearing 2012 Crowevert uniform

(March 2015, SAI; colours added June 2023, CSP) - (light photo credit x by seanwsinclair)

[alphazed]

I WATCHED LES MISERABLES AGAIN BUT IN LONDON THIS TIME TO WATCH MY FAVOURITE GUY MILAN VAN WAARDENBURG AND I LOVED IT AGAIN SO MUCH AUGHDVSUZGDJSV

I need to draw.

[clove-pinks]

Not a new academic journal article about Paul Gavarni, but newly found by me: "Parisian Social Statistics: Gavarni, 'Le Diable à Paris,' and Early Realism" by Aaron Sheon (Google Drive link). I think this will be of interest to many of my friends here—

Le Diable à Paris is important to art historians because it included a series of illustrations by Guillaume Sulpice Chevallier, known as Gavarni, the popular Parisian illustrator who was one of the city's most colorful personalities—a bohemian and flaneur. His entire series of illustrations showing types of Parisians, particularly the poorest ones, was popular enough to be later assembled as Les gens de Paris in a separate book. Each illustration was captioned by Gavarni himself, who took pride in writing a touching or witty description for each image.

Gavarni's illustrations in Le Diable à Paris included some of the cruelest scenes of waifs, paupers, beggars, and les misérables that had yet been done. It is surprising that they have been overlooked in recent studies of the politicization of French artists in the 1840s. The curious neglect of his imagery of the destitute, unemployed Parisians in Les gens de Paris appears to be due to the general neglect of Gavarni's oeuvre. When considered at all, Gavarni has been viewed by most historians as a conservative artist, a gay blade who lived only for carnavals and bohemian self-indulgence. This assumption may be incorrect.

This is a really, really, really good article about Gavarni's world, probably the best source I've found next to his biography by Jules and Edmond de Goncourt (which is in French). There is some fascinating background on the gathering of social data and the development of the modern statistical bureau in early 19th century France; and the content of Le Diable à Paris is a LOT darker and more socially conscious than I imagined. I had thought that it was a more light-hearted work before Masques et Visages but definitely not. (Which makes it even more inexplicable that people in 1840s Britain thought that Gavarni was just a dandy who made elegant fashion drawings, only to be disappointed by his more complicated reality).

Very interesting information about provincial peasants flocking to 19th century Paris, where they lived in slums and faced discrimination and mockery for their regional dress and accents: "In the 1840s a number of pejorative words began to appear in novels and articles describing the immigrants: misérables, wretches, barbarians, savages, indigents, illiterates, nomads, vagabonds, and vagrants. Some writers described them as the 'mob' and a 'nation within the nation.'"

Special to @sanguinarysanguinity: I have FINALLY found some of Gavarni's mathematical work, thanks to this article! "Des fonctions curvitales" in Comptes Rendus des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences (1865). It's in French but maybe the equations will give you some idea?

Gavarni's publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel was a lot younger than I imagined! I had no idea Hetzel was a political activist in the 1830s and 1840s (and opposed to the regime of Louis Philippe). He signed Honoré de Balzac to a publishing contract, too! Note to self for the upteenth time: I have to start reading Honoré de Balzac, who is constantly being brought up in association with/compared with Gavarni.

Sheon puts a pretty good case together that Gavarni should be regarded as more politically progressive and less shallow, although it makes me ponder how little I know about him. Gavarni is still enigmatic to me, and I have so many questions.

[the-cryptid-finch]

Concept: Donny Novitski singing Empty chairs at Empty tables from Les Miserables

[elinordash]

FILM & TV YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW: Day 1 – Favourite

At the same time that there is an infinite without us, is there not an infinite within us? – Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

[can-of-w0rmz]

Talking to people who aren’t REALLY into classics sucks sometimes bc it’s understandable enough yk, acquired taste and all that, but also it’s like I SWEAR I’m not being pretentious by saying my favourite novels are Frankenstein/Dracula/Les Misérables THEY GENUINELY ARE 😭 IM GENUINELY ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS AND GENUINELY HAVE REREAD THEM MULTIPLE TIMES (except for Les Mis. I am… still not finished my first read it’s a long-ass book ok man leave me be) AND IM GENUINELY EXTREMELY ARTISTICALLY INSPIRED BY THEM ALL IM SORRY I am but a simple history nerd who genuinely likes reading about old men with psychological problems and almost-human-cryptids that are metaphors 🙏🙏

[nortism]

It’s important for the soul to claim an irrelevant Les Misérables side character as your own

[theblesseddamozel]

My favourite thing about Les Misérables is that Victor Hugo totally could have set it during the French Revolution but instead he picked a much smaller, more obscure revolt. And somehow it’s even more dramatic that way.

[olympain]

JEREMY JORDAN AS ALL THE ROLES (Ⅰ - my personal favourites)

'Bring Him Home' from Les Misérables 'Raise a Little Hell' from Bonnie & Clyde 'Feed Me (Git It)' from Little Shop of Horrors 'She Used to Be Mine' from Waitress 'From Now On' from The Greatest Showman 'Sh'ma' from Parade 'Maria' from West Side Story 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'' from Oklahoma! 'Into the Unknown' from Frozen 'When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground' from Finding Neverland

[lonelyroommp3]

four kind of indistinguishable straight couples

the girls are all friends with eachother, as are the boys, merely by virtue of being couples who hang out together, but they’re also honestly a bit catty to each other and don’t seem to actually like each other

at least one girl who is desperately in love with a lad who thinks it’s just a fun little fling

they go on a fun but rather low budget little outing associated with a pithy phrase (“Favourite, the only one of the women who knew how to write, had written to Tholomyès for her four, “Early rise gets the prize.”)

they have some chats about fuck all

suddenly all the boys disappear and the girls are left with a note revealing they’ve all fucked off and dumped them to have fun elsewhere

CONCLUSION: the 1817 section of les misérables would be best adapted to the present day by framing it as a season of love island

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Bruno: I have decided to use my powers for evil and ruin friendships over dinner - what is the best musical of all time?

Dolores: The Phantom of the Opera, fight me on it.

Camilo: I will! As the theatre kid of this house, my answer is the big and right one. And I’m picking Mean Girls and Legally Blonde because they are the most iconic!!

Isabela: You wanna talk about iconic? Okay, bitch, then look no further than Audrey II. A plant that kills people and sings, fucking supreme icon status! Little Shop of Horrors is the best musical!

Luisa: In your dreams, sis. Best musical is clearly Heathers or Hamilton. You don’t get better than musicals starting with ‘H’.

Félix: Nice try, but you can’t get better than Moulin Rouge.

Pepa: Have you all just forgotten that Chicago exists!?

Alma: West Side Story was always mine and Pedro’s favourite musical.

Julieta: I’ve always quite liked Waitress—

Bruno: Uh no, that one’s boring. Now, Wicked, is the best musical for so many reasons. I relate to Elphaba on a spiritual level.

Mirabel: Well, you’re all wrong. It should be SIX but the historical inaccuracy ruins it. Therefore Les Misérables easily wins this competition, such a beautiful musical adaption of one of the best books ever written.

Bruno: Wasn’t Wicked based on a book?

Mirabel, scoffs: Not a very good one.

Antonio: My favourite is The Lion King! All of the animal puppets are so cool!

Agustín: You know, my favourite is Shrek.

Everyone else:

Everyone else: What the fuck?

[birdyoncetoldme]

Hey there! I'm curious

Did you read The Vegetarian? Also what are your favourite books?

I did—and I’ve been workin' through Human Acts since Han Kang won too.

The Vegetarian breaks apart the idea of family and identity in a way that’s realllyyyy fuckin' unsettling to me. It’s a hard look at how society treats people who don’t conform and— I think it's a good read, especially for those living in Gotham.

That's a goddamn impossible question but probably — Les Misérables, The Hour of the Star, Pride and Prejudice, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and The Idiot.