A New Book

So, I guess it's time I stopped blogging DFW on Tumblr and got on with the next book. After a lot of deliberation I've decided to move away from the footnotes and the modernist/post-modernist literature and head back in time for some 19th Century French melodrama. Les Miserables [sic, cannot put accents into Blogger] is out in the cinema in December and I am awaiting it with baited breath having inevitably performed songs from the musical in 6th form choir. My knowledge of the plot is rudimentary, as per I've started it in the past and not got that far.I've also always meant to try and watch the musical, so I figure now's the time to read it.  

I'm planning on reading the Penguin Classics 1976 version translated by Norman Denny, in book form rather than ebook. 

The cover image shows a detail of the man on the right, from a painting called 'Le Repas des Pauvres' (link)

I've owned this book for a number of years and I wanted to read something in a 'classic' translation (it looks like Penguin are yet to update the translation), I'm not sure about the validity of the Kindle ebook, and after finishing Infinite Jest I am looking forward to scribbling all over a book again . 

Reading the introduction I see that Denny has abridged it slightly and moved some of Hugo's most confusing and irrelevant discussions into an appendix. I admit, he does not really excite you to read the book that much, but I understand why he's done what he's done. Although it is tempting to wish for a book with an entirely accurate translation, a sympathetic translation is probably better. True to the spirit if not the letter, especially as it seems that the French edition was loaded with more footnotes. 

I am intrigued by Hugo's political background, I hadn't realised that he was exiled for his political beliefs.

Having read the introduction I feel suitably fortified to begin the journey, admittedly not having done a great deal of research this time.