The Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Misérables

To many individuals, Victor Hugo's Les Misérables evokes the Broadway musical or movie. Bellos (French & comparative literature, Princeton Univ.; Is That a Fish in Your Ear?) acknowledges these adaptations; however, his book elevates this great novel to its rightful place in the literary canon and pays it homage by providing details on how it came to life over the course of many decades—for 12 years, the Romantic French writer did not even work on the manuscript. Like the novel it describes, this "biography" is divided into five parts that address Hugo's life, significant political/historical events of the period, the story's character development, initial reception, and continued popularity. Interesting features include a discussion on "invisible history"—details of everyday life described by Hugo (such as the significance of wearing particular colors) that may not make sense to contemporary readers since these details have been overtaken by time. Also noteworthy is Bello's examination of language, including Hugo's use of Latin, the naming of characters, and the multiple meanings of the title.