Les Misérables

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Related Topics

Les Misérables

Q: What is Les Misérables about?

Les Misérables centres on the character Jean Valjean , an ex-convict in 19th-century France. The story spans many years as it tells of Valjean’s release from prison and reformation as an industrialist while being constantly pursued by the morally strict inspector Javert. During this time he encounters a plethora of characters in Paris such as Fantine, a single mother who works as a prostitute to provide for her daughter, and Marius, a student and revolutionary who falls in love with Valjean’s adopted daughter, Cosette.

Q: What are the themes in Les Misérables ?

The themes of Les Misérables are concerned with social issues in 19th-century urban France. Victor Hugo uses Les Misérables to deliver critiques of wealth distribution , the justice system, industrialism, and republicanism.

Q: Where is Les Misérables set?

Les Misérables is set in multiple locations in Paris and Montreuil-sur-Mer, often featuring places populated by the impoverished and downtrodden. Like some other notable authors of the era, such as Honoré de Balzac and Stendhal , Victor Hugo employs realist elements to tackle complex issues in urban French society.

Q: Was Les Misérables adapted into a musical?

Les Misérables was adapted into a musical in 1980 by Alain Boublil, who wrote the book and the lyrics, and Claude-Michel Schönberg, who wrote the music. It won Best Musical at the 1987 Tony Awards and is considered one of the best musicals of all time.

novel by Hugo

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024 • Article History

What is Les Misérables about?

What are the themes in Les Misérables?

Where is Les Misérables set?

Was Les Misérables adapted into a musical?

Les Misérables, novel by Victor Hugo, published in French in 1862. It was an instant popular success and was quickly translated into several languages.

Set in the Parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, the work follows the fortunes of the convict Jean Valjean, a victim of society who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. A hardened and streetwise criminal upon his release, he eventually softens and reforms, becoming a successful industrialist and mayor of a northern town. Despite this, he is haunted by an impulsive, regretted former crime and is pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert. Valjean eventually gives himself up for the sake of his adopted daughter, Cosette, and her husband, Marius.

Les Misérables presents a vast panorama of Parisian society and its underworld, and it contains many famous episodes and passages, among them a chapter on the Battle of Waterloo and the description of Valjean’s rescue of Marius by means of a flight through the sewers of Paris. A popular musical stage adaptation was produced in 1980.

Young woman with glasses reading a book, student

Britannica Quiz

Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.