Introduction to an Epic

"There is a prospect greater than the sea, and it is the sky; there is a prospect greater than the sky, and it is the human soul. To make a poem of the human conscience, even in terms of a single man and the least of men, would be to merge all epics in a single epic transcending all."

Victor Hugo's (1802-1885) passionate and thought-provoking words are worth relishing and reflecting upon... Just consider, dear reader...  If it is impossible to understand the human soul, how much more difficult is it to comprehend the vastness and magnificence of the Creator of the soul?! 
Hugo endeavored to portray the reality of his own musings by writing a book about the "human conscience" and a "single man's" life. It is an introspective journey of pain, darkness, redemption, sorrow, and light. 
Since my first introduction to this daunting tome a few years ago, it has remained one of my favourite classics. Can you guess what it is? Les Misérables - a rather difficult title to pronounce - which can be translated as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, or The Underdogs.

Hugo's insight and ability to put many aspects of the human condition into words is remarkable. Norman Denny, a translator of Hugo's work writes, 

"Les Misérables with its depth of vision and underlying truth, its moments of lyrical quality and of moving compassion, is a novel of towering stature, one of the great works of western literature, a melodrama that is also a morality and a social document embracing a wider field than any other novel of its time." 

Cosette

Set against the backdrop of 19th Century France, Les Misérables tells the tale of Jean Valjean, a man cast from society, sentenced to nineteen years of hard labour after stealing a loaf of bread and sequential attempts to escape. He is released a calloused man - free from the chain and the lash, but not from the law or the hatred and darkness that grips his soul.
After a pivotal encounter with a bishop, Valjean "looks at the picture of his life...and of his own soul, hideous in its ugliness," and weeps (I imagine much as Peter wept after he had denounced Jesus three times). The ex-convict's tears turn to those of a freed man as the burden of his sin is lifted and he receives God's grace. Taking on a new identity, he becomes a successful and benevolent mayor. But then his past rears its ugly head and he must wrestle within the depths of his heart and conscience to decide how he will respond. The dilemma will have unprecedented affects on himself and a multitude of others.
Les Mis is not only concerned with the internal struggle (man against God, and man against himself) but also the social one (man against man). France is restless, the poor are voiceless, and the idealism's of the Revolution are ripe for revival. Valjean finds himself caught in the epicentre of the conflict. Now as the loving guardian of a beautiful young girl named Cosette - the "little lark" - he is consumed with his desire to care for her forever and protect her from his past, but blossoming love may serve to alter his newly found purpose. Not only do unsettling reappearances of the rogue Thenardier bring upheaval to Valjean's life, but he continues to be hunted by Javert, an Inspector of Police whose adherence to the law leaves no room for mercy to others - or himself. 
Though Valjean is the central figure of the novel, the characters surrounding him (some of which I've already mentioned) are equally profound and fascinating...
The beautiful and tragic Fantine who falls into degradation in order to keep her daughter alive...
Marius, a romantic, idealistic young man...
Enjolras, a principled, and daring Revolutionary, surrounded by young men whose desire for liberty and equality will send them to their early graves...
Eponine, a ragged girl whose unobserved, sacrificial love will save the lives of many...
Gavroche, a quick-witted, courageous young urchin who calls the streets of Paris his mother and fights alongside the Revolutionaries...

Statue of Gavroche and his two younger brothers. Valetta, Malta.

Despite the beauty and depth of Hugo's work, his writing style is far from perfect - Les Mis is accused by the same translator as being, "loaded down with digressions, interpolated discourses, passages of moralizing rhetoric" and many other "sins" of the novelist writer.
In fact, the first advice I received when beginning to read this book was to skip the first few chapters!
Hugo certainly "says everything, and more than everything." Not only do you get very detailed historical accounts - most notably, the Battle of Waterloo - but you tour the hidden world of a nunnery, climb into the cesspit of the Paris sewers, and hear many eloquent speeches on politics and the ideals prevalent of the time.
And yet, there is something beautiful and almost assuring about these wanderings that helped me surmount his rabbit-trails and kept me from skipping, despite the passages on politics and religion that I either disagreed with or found difficult to understand. They cement a vivid picture in the minds eye and contribute to the realism of the story. The apparent "coincidences" and incidences all connect and entwine, conferring one of the many themes evident throughout: There is something - Someone - at work in our lives, orchestrating both the grand historical events, and the seemingly insignificant meetings, happenings and decisions.

When Les Misérables was first published in 1862, it captured an enormous audience of diverse social backgrounds, particularly the poor. It acknowledged their plight in ways contrary to any other piece of literature. People were drawn to sympathize and relate with the characters. Fantine is an illustration of the suffering of women, as well as sacrifice made for one's child, Cosette and Gavroche are the faces of waifs and strays - innocence and lost innocence - Valjean not only exemplifies imprisoned, broken men, ostracized forever from society, but hope and redemption, and Marius stands as an illustration of a wandering soul. Hugo wished to impress the cry of the poor and homeless into people's hearts, so often lost in the clamour of life's events. In no way have these themes and characters lost their potency; they still impact an immense audience - maybe none more so than now.

Les Mis remains the longest running Broadway musical in history, and was recently made into an award winning movie in 2012. Though the musical is not wholly true to the novel, it is a masterpiece in its own way. Musical scores such as Bring Him Home, I Dreamed a Dream, Who Am I?, On My Own, Stars, and One Day More, capture and bring to light the overarching themes and sentiments of the story. I find it inspiriting and refreshing to consider that God could not be erased from such a world renowned drama. It would be a meaningless story without Him!

Within Les Misérables, Hugo gave a summary of his intentions and aspirations for his masterpiece...

"The book which the reader now holds in his hands, from one end to the other... treats the advance from evil to good, from injustice to justice, from falsity to truth, from darkness to daylight, from blind appetite to conscience, from bestiality to duty, from Hell to Heaven, from Limbo to God..."

There is so much more I could say, but I will leave it at that and allow you to discover it for yourself if you wish, and conclude with a trailer of the musical...