Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful to have!
Since almost no poetry by Hugo is available in English, this is a welcome sampling.THAT deserves five stars.The introduction is informative (and none too shy on opinions).The French original on the facing page is helpful for comparing with the translation.And the translator's notes on his method of translating put things in perspective.As usual, the translator must make a choice between two basic options: literalness (which may sacrifice "tone" or "rhyme"), or keeping the "sound" or rhyme of the original (which may necessitate substituting English words or phrases for those in the original).The current translator opted for the former choice.Fine.How odd, then, that he also mixes in elements of the second choice!The result sometimes is that you have neither the tone nor the rhyme nor the literal rendering of the original.

In one poem, for example, Hugo ends with a line that is six syllables long, with three of those words (and four syllables in those three words) carrying the same vowel sound -- "aw".Those words in French are "maison," "sans," and "enfants" (the last word ending the line.)Six syllables, four homonyms!Not bad!However, the translation has more than six syllables, and no words that sound alike,and some of the words in the translation are not in the original.How does that convey either the tone, mood, or rhyme of the original?In fact, the orignal has four phrases at the end of the poem, each of which repeats a pattern of contrast using the words "sans" ("without"): spring without flowers, a cage without bird, a hive without bees, a house without children.This obvious, simple, and intentional pattern is not maintained in the translation, and I wonder why.Instead, "poetic" license is in evidence by the translator.Part of Hugo's madness in this method may well have been to end with his clever (and lyrical) six-syllable, four-homonym ending, and in English, the "pay off" would not have been there.Still, how much license should a translator take?

In all, I am glad to have these poems, but I am restless till someone can find a way to come closer to Hugo. Maybe I should just learn French. ... Read more

Product Description
Les Misérables, (In French; The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims), is a French novel published in 1862 by Victor Hugo. It focuses on the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. Les Misérables is known to many through its numerous stage and screen adaptations, most notably the stage musical, sometimes shortened to just "Les Mis".
... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
"Excerpt from the book..."
Dans les derniers jours de mai 1793, un des bataillons parisiens amen�s en
Bretagne par Santerre fouillait le redoutable bois de la Saudraie en
Astill�. On n'�tait pas plus de trois cents, car le bataillon �tait d�cim�
par cette rude guerre. C'�tait l'�poque o�, apr�s l'Argonne, Jemmapes et
... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR’d book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tragic souls burning in anguish!
This is a common Victor Hugo Theme. He always likes to torture his characters untill the reader breakes out in sweat. While not nearly as famious as his other greats, this book is no less briallent, exciting, and intreging. It's really great. Trust me. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Classic novel, first published in 1832, in the original French.According to Wikipedia: "Victor-Marie Hugo(26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France. In France, Hugo's literary fame comes first from his poetry but also rests upon his novels and his dramatic achievements. Among many volumes of poetry, Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles stand particularly high in critical esteem, and Hugo is sometimes identified as the greatest French poet. Outside France, his best-known works are the novels Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris (known in English also as The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Though a committed conservative royalist when he was young, Hugo grew more liberal as the decades passed; he became a passionate supporter of republicanism, and his work touches upon most of the political and social issues and artistic trends of his time. He is buried in the Panthéon." ... Read more

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Cliffs Test Preparation Guides help students prepare for and improve their performance on standardized tests ACT Preparation Guide CBEST Preparation Guide CLAST Preparation Guide ELM Review GMAT Preparation Guide GRE Preparation Guide LSAT Preparation Guide MAT Preparation Guide MATH Review for Standardized Tests MSAT Preparation Guide Memory Power for Exams Police Officer Examination Preparation Guide Police Sergeant Examination Preparation Guide Police Management Examinations Preparation Guide Postal Examinations Preparation Guide Praxis I: PPST Preparation Guide Praxis II: NTE Core Battery Preparation Guide SAT Preparation Guide SAT II Writing Preparation Guide TASP Preparation Guide TOEFL Preparation Guide with 2 cassettes Advanced Practice for the TOEFL with 2 cassettes Verbal Review for Standardized Tests Writing Proficiency Examinations You Can Pass the GED Cliffs Quick Reviews help students in introductory college courses or Advanced Placement classes Algebra I Algebra II Anatomy & Physiology Basic Math and Pre-Algebra Biology Calculus Chemistry Differential Equations Economics Geometry Linear Algebra Microbiology Physics Statistics Trigonometry Cliffs Advanced Placement Preparation Guides help high school students taking Advanced Placement courses to earn college credit AP Biology AP Calculus AB AP Chemistry AP English Language & Composition AP English Literature & Composition AP United States History Cliffs Complete Study Editions are comprehensive study guides with complete text, running commentary and glossary Chaucer's Prologue Chaucer's Wife of Bath Hamlet Julius Caesar King Henry IV, Part I King Lear Macbeth The Merchant of Venice Othello Romeo and Juliet The Tempest Twelfth Night See inside back cover for listing of Cliffs Notes titles Registered trademarks include: GRE, MSAT, the Praxis Series, and TOEFL (Educational Testing Service): AP, Advanced Placement Program, and SAT (College Entrance Examination Board); GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Council); and LSAT (Law School Admission Council.) Les Miserables ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Helped me enjoy the musical
This was perfect for me to read a week before I was to attend the musical. After reading this, I knew all the characters and their motivations and all the story lines.After watching the show, I became interested in reading the book...and probably will...someday!

...and I read the book, too.
Well, it's Cliff's Notes.There isn't much to say.But it does quite a fair job of clarifying the splendid cluttered mess that is Hugo's novel, and my ten-year-old copy is much loved.Don't read an abridged "Les Mis"; read the unabridged, with this on hand.It's much more fun.

a true romantic love story...
the first time i read the unabridged copy of les mis, i was in high school, and we had just started the book when we all took a hugh trip to ny to see the play on broadway. i was sitting next to me very best friend Tynaries, when intermission ended and eponine came out and sang "on my own", when just as she lie dying in marius' arms at the barricade he kissed her lightly, then i gasped and gripped the arm of my chair. but suddenly, Ty grabbed my hand, gave it a tiny squeeze, then leaned over close to me, kissed my lips softly and whispered, "i'll keep you safe, always...," and handed me a very old hand-kerchief which was the one i had made him in home ec when we were 12, i had embroidered (really badly) his initials on the corner. we've been together since, and that has been almost 7 years, and he wrapped my engagement ring in it the night he proposed. but to get back to the main topic, i just previously picked the clift notes up at a local bookshop and found it to be just as i remembered that night so very long ago in my heart. [i love you Ty, always....]

Ahhhh...Good old Notes....
Okay, I was browsing through my library and I stumbled across the Les Miserables cliff notes (I have read the whole thing unabridged 4 times).I picked it up to look it over, and was impressed.I checked it out, and took it to school the next day and gave it to my friend who was reading theabridged version and I gave it to her to read.She liked it much better. She said it was, "Shorter (she's not exactly into long books), moreemmotional (eep), and included many things that the abridgement left out. Two of my personal favorite parts- Jean Prouvaire's Last Poem, and OrestesFasting and Pylades Drunk, which were included in Cliff's Notes.Bravo!

It's really great!
Well, I first went to see it in NY, Broadway and it fascinated me.So, I decided to order the Lesmis in concert from the DVD store and also got the book. It's really great. It's set during the French Revolution. Iincredibly sugest you buy this for it is sure to reach you in your heart ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Didn't Realize It Was In French!!
I'll be lecturing on Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Ernani" for Chicago's Lyric Opera this fall, and I want to read Victor Hugo's play "Hernani" on which the opera is based.But I didn't expect this publication to be in the original French which I don't read.I returned it and paid S & H charges because it was "purchaser's error.".

Does This Make Sense?
Why would anyone pay $20 for an aged and poor translation of two works that are in the public domain and can be accessed for free? This isn't publishing, it's trolling for dollars. I wonder what the great Hugo would have thought of such a ploy... Preface de Cromwell and Hernani are both valuable relics of the Romantic movement in France. It is a service to English-speaking American readers to make such historic texts available. But please: faire un effort, as Hugo might have said. Better to have a new and decent translation with an accompanying, enlightened commentary--especially if you're going to ask people to pay for something they can get elsewhere for free. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A gossipy and intimate portrait, not a critical biography.
I had been told that Olympio was the place to begin for the classic Hugo biography. It may be that my notion of classic biography is different than others or just that time has eroded some of the power of this 1950s biographical effort. In any case, I found it sorely lacking in the main elements that I expect from a literary biograph. I learned very little about the major influences on Hugo as a poet, or the tradition in which he was writing. On the other hand, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about which mistress inspired which poem.

Worse, Maurois insists on taking sides between the many and various Hugo women. Juliette Drouet may well have been an interesting figure in the life of the poet, but as a reader I was uninterested in the fact that Maurois found her the best of the women because she was so loyal and submissive. Surely every biographer has his or her bias and I suppose that there is something to say for revealing that bias openly. Still, it felt irrelevant and petty. It made me doubt the scholarship of the book as a whole.

I do enjoy gossip intermixed with my biographies. Relationships are part of what shape the writers that we study. However I expect that aspect to be seasoning (unless love is the reason the subject is famous) rather than the main ingredient. The book does have a number of strong points, among which is the judicial and liberal use of source material such as letters.

Depending on what you are after as a reader, you may get more out of Olympio than I was able to. I certainly wish that I had gotten a more recent biography, one that focused more on the writing and less on the manhood. ... Read more

Product Description
The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title L'Homme qui rit. There have been several dramatic adaptations of The Man Who Laughs. These include a popular film, directed by Paul Leni and starring Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin and Olga Baclanova. Hugo wrote The Man Who Laughs, or the Laughing Man, over a period of fifteen months while he was living in the Channel Islands, having been exiled from his native France due to the controversial political content of his previous novels. Hugo's working title for this book was On the King's Command, but a friend suggested The Man Who Laughs. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. ... Read more

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From France, this series will present the best poems of various authors put to comics by a bevy of talented cartoonists. The full poem in its original form is first presented and then its visualized counterpart. ... Read more