Oh my god, yes, you have just summed it up excellently. I have a lot of story kryptonites, but characters who are avatars and also people, and who are then put in situations where their humanity shows without diminishing their embodied symbolism, is hugely appealing for me. So, uh, I love a large percentage of the cast of this book.
And yes about skipping the synthesis. I hadn't put that into words, but you're totally right. Hugo's fundamental message about every single philosophical issue he raises is "BUT GUYS IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT--" and another messy contradictory ramble on the heels of the previous. I respect that, and agree with it, much more than any sort of moral of absolutes. (And his symbol characters aren't named, like, M. Virtue and Mme. Busybody, which I am grateful for.)
Oh, the folk etymologies. I don't know much about French etymology at any level more advanced than "this clearly comes from the Latin I learned in high school," but I am not remotely surprised about the dubious veracity of any given example.
(Oh my god, are they? I mean, of course they are. But WHY, universe? I want 1830, I want 1831, I want Valjean and Fauchelevant and Cosette in the convent, I want Javert The Police Procedural. I guess that's what we have fanfic for, and you're right that hypothetical Les Mis profic would probably just be published badfic.)
>:D EXCELLENT. I have been pretty much devouring it, as much as real life allows -- I've just hit the part of the barricades where Hugo stops digressing about insurrections and stuff starts happening -- so I expect to be at your disposal whenever you like, schedules willing!
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Date: 2013-03-08 02:42 pm (UTC)And yes about skipping the synthesis. I hadn't put that into words, but you're totally right. Hugo's fundamental message about every single philosophical issue he raises is "BUT GUYS IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT--" and another messy contradictory ramble on the heels of the previous. I respect that, and agree with it, much more than any sort of moral of absolutes. (And his symbol characters aren't named, like, M. Virtue and Mme. Busybody, which I am grateful for.)
Oh, the folk etymologies. I don't know much about French etymology at any level more advanced than "this clearly comes from the Latin I learned in high school," but I am not remotely surprised about the dubious veracity of any given example.
(Oh my god, are they? I mean, of course they are. But WHY, universe? I want 1830, I want 1831, I want Valjean and Fauchelevant and Cosette in the convent, I want Javert The Police Procedural. I guess that's what we have fanfic for, and you're right that hypothetical Les Mis profic would probably just be published badfic.)
>:D EXCELLENT. I have been pretty much devouring it, as much as real life allows -- I've just hit the part of the barricades where Hugo stops digressing about insurrections and stuff starts happening -- so I expect to be at your disposal whenever you like, schedules willing!