Why is the Bishop's character so thick?

IN REFLECTION OF BOOK 1, CHAPTERS 1-3


The first chunk of LM takes on the task of thoroughly and explicitly setting up the character of The Bishop aka Monseigneur Bienvenue. While establishing a character at the front end of a book is hardly extraordinary, what is unique about Hugo's efforts is that the Bishop, as it relates to the rest of the story and what one would commonly refer to as "the plot," isn't a major character. He's more of a catalyst that sets in motion the transformation of Jean Valjean. One has to question, then, why Hugo devotes so much pageface to establishing the Bishop, when we quickly leave him behind as the events of Valjean's life are played out after his breif encounter with the man.

LM is perhaps THE great French book, one that encapsulates the meaning of whatever it is to be French, and to some extent, what it is to be human. But merely to be French is not a mere thing at all. A country with a long, sometimes pendulum-like history, one that overthrew a king only to establish soon after an emperor in the pursuit of democracy and rights of man, it is a complex identity with many shades of gray. Even though LM itself was written nearly 150 years ago, Hugo himself began his plot in years a lifetime before his own. And in that period, as it has always been, the state of affairs of the country were multifaceted and complex. Hugo takes us through the life story of the Bishop and well establishing his character because, in a roundabout way, the Bishop is the good of man rising to the loftiest aspirations of the French ideal, insofar as Hugo sees it. We need this firm establishment of base so that when the story of Valjean pushes off, it's from a sure mooring of a sturdy harbor that will make his course firm.

Why Les Miserables?

In the way that some of us have an older friend or relative, perhaps a grandmother or neighbor, that has been with us through our lives and, at each stage, conveyed wisdom due our age and character, so has Les Miserables,Victor Hugo's epic novel which follows the life of ex-con Jean ValJean, stayed with me through the years.

I first read LM when I was in high school, aged 15. Since, I have read it in whole or in part nearly a dozen times. Every time I come back to it, though the words are the same, the message is different. At 15, I sympathized with the unrequited love Eponine held for Marius. At 22, my heart broke when Fantine resolves to place Cosette with the Thenardier's, believing based on passing fallacy that her daughter will find with them a happy, safe home. At 26, I questioned the role of law versus compassion, and if Javert was to be admired or admonished.

At 34, I find myself again turning to Hugo's work, and wondering what this time I will find in its pages that I overlooked before. This blog is meant to be a journal of that discovery, a reflection of what I see differently, and a conversation with those who will make the journey with me.

I  invite you to sojourn with me through the pages of Les Miserables. I have no set reading or post schedule. I will write wherein I find time and purpose. If you'd like to follow along with my discoveries and comment on my thoughts, I invite you to do so.  Though I am a writer, I am not a scholar, neither on French history or literature, and if I should misunderstand a passing phrase or implied metaphor, I hope you will not hesitate to enlighten my understanding.  Also, I am approaching this task through two mediums:

1. Written Text. If you'd like to read the book, you should be able to find a copy at any library or likely at any used book store. Or, if you have an e-reader, there are free electronic copies available on Amazon (this is the version I will use), Google Ebookstore, iBookstore (Apple), or for .95USD from BN.com for the Nook.

2. Audio Version. This is my primary source for the text. I intend to listen to the text in 20-40 minute segments, then check back to the written version as necessary. I downloaded the version read by Frederick Davidson, available through Audible.com.