Les Miserables......

[sophia_sol]

WHOOPS so then I accidentally started reading Les Miserables the book (aka The Brick) and also wandering the Les Miserables tag on tumblr and now I am having ALL OF THE FEELINGS, by which I mean EVEN MORE OF THE FEELINGS THAN PREVIOUSLY?

Book feelings because the first section of the brick is ALL ABOUT how awesome the Bishop is, and also all about how Victor Hugo thumbs his nose at standard narrative conventions for novels (ANY INDICATIONS OF WHAT THE PLOT MIGHT BE? WHO NEEDS SUCH THINGS IN THE FIRST HUNDRED PAGES, LET'S DISCUSS THE BISHOP OF D--'S CHARACTER INSTEAD, WITH VARIOUS ASIDES TO RUMINATE ON PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY AND THEOLOGY AND STUFF) and I love it to pieces.

AND THEN I accidentally got given allllllll the Grantaire feels upon stumbling across this post on tumblr. So um WOW GRANTAIRE IS THE BEST AND EVERYTHING IS AMAZING AND TRAGIC. Like, dude. I AM NOT USUALLY INTO TRAGEDY but I am 100% willing to make an exception for Grantaire, because HOW SO PERFECT. And it's almost -- almost -- not a tragedy for him, because he dies, yes, but at least he dies WITH ENJOLRAS PERMITTING HIM TO STAND WITH HIM, AND WITH ENJOLRAS SMILING AT HIM oh goddddddd. So yes. I'm not sure why Grantaire is hitting all of my buttons SO SO HARD but WOW IS HE EVER. I guess he's hitting previously-unidentified buttons for me? I SHALL HAVE TO THINK MORE ON THIS.

Comments

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

I found some fascinating Grantaire meta I need to link you to.

And yes, Victor Hugo is known for digressing for thousands of words about architecture or the Parisian sewer system or whatever. I've made it through Notre-Dame de Paris and Quatrevingt-Treize, but I think he's even more digressiony in the Brick than anywhere else. He was a guy who REALLY WANTED TO SHOW YOU HIS RESEARCH.

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

OH OH OH YESSS PLEASE DO LINK ME THE FASCINATING GRANTAIRE META. I've been, um, stalking the Grantaire tag on tumblr distressingly assiduously. I just have so many bewilderingly strong feels about him.

Yeah, I'd heard about Victor Hugo's digressions before, but usually in the context of "stuff you have to slog through to get to the good bits" but I am really loving his digressionary nature. :D

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

http://abaisse.the-barricade.net/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=747&start=15

The whole forum has a ton of interesting threads with terrifying smart and well-read people discussing ALL THE THINGS. I haven't yet poked into the movie discussion portion, but shockingly, the whole community actually looks fairly active. Apparently fandom has not entirely left message boards (which I should know, because Tortall fandom is mostly on message boards still). I may have to make an account so I can lurk.

I think some people like the digressions!

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

Yessss that is some beautiful meta! And oh wow THIS FEELS LIKE A RETURN TO MY CHILDHOOD, lurking on a messageboard. I haven't used one since -- gosh, I don't even remember when.

I just finished the digression on the battle of Waterloo and it was GREAT!

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

I KNOW, RIGHT? I started out on messageboards when I was a wee fanlet.

That one is full of terrifying smart and well-read people, though.

[sophia-sol.livejournal.com]

Me too! Although I was STRICTLY a lurker in fannish messageboards. I think I shall remain so at this one, because YES TERRIFYINGLY SMART AND WELL-READ and I'm just here going "I....had lots of feelings?"