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Welcome to the website for "The Les Misérables Reading Companion," where you'll find all the episodes of this podcast about Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, plus extras relating to what I've discussed there. 

This page is a work in progress. Come back early and often for updates!

The comment function on this page was giving us trouble--comments disappearing, that sort of thing--so I've shut it off...

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I still very much look forward to reading your comments! (Unless you're a troll; I will exercise ruthless editorial authority when it comes to trolls!)

 

Episode 17 extras

Apr 17, 2018

Here are a few examples of artists' interpretations of Cosette with her pail. There are LOTS more images of Cosette here; the page is in French, and at the beginning it's about about the Poor Children's Dinners that Hugo hosted at his home in Guernsey. Scroll down a bit, and you'll begin to recognize Cosette.

 

1892,  G. Guay

 

 

1905, M. Paul Dufresne

 

And of course, here is the scene from the 2012 movie musical of Les Misérables that is most closely associated with Young Cosette. Note now they filmed her "behind bars" through the gate, recalling the association between her forced labor and Jean Valjean's (who wouldn't have been literally behind bars, but symbolically, in the vernacular of the film's audience). Also, now that we've thought about the various meanings of the big beautiful doll, which we see for a moment here, it's especially poignant when she has the rag she's using for a doll whisper in her ear....