#im so sorry im a big fat nerd who likes to reference academics who hint at my ship

[la-confrontation]

As someone who speaks French, I concur. The most literal translation would use the word sensualité. I'm almost sure the erotic undertones were done on purpose. In his Dictionnaire amoureux de Victor Hugo, Sébastien Spitzer talks about Jean Valjean as being "Javert's almost oedipal obsession, his legal libido". So yes, it definitely didn't go unnoticed by modern academics (also jouir already had this double-meaning in the 19th century... Hugo knew what he was doing). Pierre Gripari wrote an article called Vie amoureuse de Jean Valjean, in which he assumes that Valjean and Javert are both homosexuals. It's an interesting read, though outdated and weird (TW pedophilia).

Personally, I think it's about morality: the erotic subtext works with the animalisation of Javert's character—he is reduced to his basest instincts, and it's reprehensible. It'd be coherent with the myth of Hugolian virginity (that we can see more explicitly with Enjolras). But Hugo knew how to nuance his text, so perhaps it's a bit reductive (plus, obviously, nobody really cares about this interpretation nowadays).

I also like to think that there are reminiscences of Claude Gueux's queer subtext and off-text in Les Misérables, and that we can see them in Jean Valjean's relationship with Javert (Lionel Labosse wrote an article about the gay off-text of Claude Gueux on his website, which I remember liking when I read it). Anyaways those old men gay as fuck.

I've been thinking about the fuckin paris chase scene the WHOLE DAY to the point i had to draw something, but also went to inspect what the original french text said, because the 3 english translations i cross-referenced had a few glaring differences.

and like..... okay . there have definitely been some translations that made this wayyyyyy gayer, some in different parts than others, but theres a REASON they translated it gayly. let's inspect!

DISCLAIMER! I AM ENGLISH AND NOT NATIVE FRENCH SPEAKER!!!! i also translated this more loose & direct than cohesively, so it's real janky, sorry ...if you want a nicer translation go somewhere else ... im trying to be comprehensive here . ANYWAY!!!!!!!!

Then [Javert] began to play. He had a [ravishing/sensual/ecstatic] and infernal moment: he let his man go ahead of him, knowing that he [had/held] him, but wanting as long as possible to [delay/postpone] the moment of arrest, happy to [feel him caught but to see him free/give him the illusion of freedom], [gazing at/brooding over] him with the [voluptuousness/pleasure/lust] of the spider that lets the fly fly and the cat that lets the mouse run. The claw and the talon have a monstrous sensuality; it is the [unseen/obscure] movement of the beast imprisoned in their pincers. What a [delight/delicacy] this suffocation was! Javert was enjoying himself. The meshes of his net were firmly attached. He was sure of success; he didn’t have anything more now than to close his hand. Accompanied like he was, the very idea of resistance was impossible, no matter how energetic, vigorous and desperate Jean Valjean might be.

There's not really... much i can say. It reads a bit queer. One thing i love about french is that you can stretch it and find a gay meaning in ANYTHING.

My favourite example is on "Javert was enjoying himself". The original french is "Javert jouissait." Jouissait, from the verb jouir. Which definitely means to enjoy oneself , but...

Can be in a more literal sense.

Hugo definitely did not mean it to read like this, but with that meaning on the horizon... do what you like with it.

The rest of the words i provided a couple choices as i wasn't sure which worked best or wanted to give you an idea of the general kind of meaning or scope. I'm leaving it up to you to decide!

Additionally i translated it.. fairly literally, whereas some translations i saw gather the idea more than the way hugo wrote it - which makes total sense, " feel him caught but to see him free" makes sense in french but is a mess of a sentence in english, hence the completely different interpretation after it.

feel free to comment/give feedback! i really enjoy doing this kinda thing!!