#mod fantine

Hi all, Mod Fantine here! I have been listening to the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and became inspired to do what Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile do with Harry Potter. Their motto is “Reading fiction doesn’t help us escape the world, it helps us live in it.” I decided it might be interesting to look at Les Miserables in a similar way. 

Victor Hugo said that “To love another person is to see the face of God” and I take this to mean that meaning whether that be through God or other means can be found in what one loves both in a secular and religious sense. 

I want to treat Les Miserables as an academic and sacred text and look at it through various exegeses such as Lectio Devina and Pardes.

This exercise will in some ways be like Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. We will go chapter by chapter with a brief summary of each chapter (or maybe not depending on how Hugo wants to be). I will pick out one sentence either at random of purposefully and then use the given exegesis method for that week on that sentence. I hope we can all glean a little more from the text and musical that we all love so dearly.

I will be using this edition if you would like to follow along.

A little background about me is that I am an English major with a double minor in Film and Religious studies (the perfect brew to over-analyze everything!). I was introduced to these methods both through the podcast and my amazing professors. If I got something wrong with these methods, do tell me! I am seeking to learn. 

Babet Mod: Sesame Street’s Les Mousserables.

Fantine Mod: 25th Anniversary or the North American tour. Or the one at my local community theater as it was my very first time seeing the show.

Feuilly Mod: The North American Tour (current one)… it was the first show I ever saw and it’s still really close to my heart.

Sous’ Mod: I have literally seen one (1) and its the movie (but I adore Aaron Tveit and Fra Fee)

Cosette mod: The 2012 film! It was my first introduction into Les Miserables really, and I’ve never been more blown away or shook by seeing anything. It was beautiful, and I fell in love from then on.

Fantine Book 1: An Upright Man. Chapter 1 Monsieur Myriel

Summary

Basically, this is the intro to the Bishop Myriel who will eventually change Jean Valjean’s life. His full name is Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel and was the Bishop of Digne for the past nine years, and he is something of an oddity. His father was a judge and a member of a respected family. Everyone expected him to go and do the same as his father. But nope. Even though he goes and gets married he still is a partier and indulging in worldly pleasures (whatever that may be...hey we don’t judge).

His family fortune disappears after the revolution, and he’s like “welp, time to do something with myself.” His uncle was a cardinal and basically introduces him to Napoleon. Napoleon is like “Why are you staring at me, good man?” and Myriel basically Aaron Burr’s himself by saying, “you are looking at a good one, I at a great one. May we both be better for it” (Hugo 2). (Smooth moves there). 

And he then becomes the Bishop of Digne. He brings his sister Madamoiselle Baptistine who Hugo points out is 10 years his junior. He also has a servant, Madame Magloire. Hugo makes a pointed comment about because neither are mothers that they are only “respectable” and not “venerable.” Get ready folks for Hugo’s weird sexism! (it’s gonna be a theme). Also, Madame Magloire has asthma. As someone who also has asthma, Madame Magloire is the icon I never knew I needed.

Once he is all moved in, everyone is waiting to see how Bishop Myriel will act. Strap in folks, its gonna be a ride!

Quote

This quote I picked because it encapsulates the entire book as well as the chapter.

“Whether true or false, what is said about men often has as much influence on their lives, and particularly on their destinies, as what they do” (Hugo 1).

Okay, so we are going to use the Jewish method of exegesis, Pardes. I am decently familiar with this method because my favorite Religious Studies professor taught me this, and she works in the Jewish Studies dept. as well. This was how she explained it to us and so if it differs to what you learned, please let me know! Using Pardes, we are going to rip apart this one sentence and see what juicy secrets it holds.

Peshat (פְּשָׁט) – the surface, plain or the literal direct meaning

What people say or think helps and hurts people without their consent or even knowing.

Remez (רֶמֶז) – the deep (allegoric: hidden or symbolic) meaning beyond just the literal sense as provided with Peshat

People are complex, and man alone cannot judge. God or another higher being is the only one who can judge as per many religious scriptures will say. Humans wield tremendous power to hurt each other, and that can trump an individual's own will.

Derash (דְּרַשׁ) – from Hebrew darash: "inquire" ("seek") – the comparative (midrashic) meaning, as given through similar occurrences. Look through the text or other sentences to find similar themes or idea and discover connections.

This quote is in reference to Bishop Myriel but can be applied to nearly every character in the book.

Marius’s grandfather about to Marius’s father

Marius to Cosette about Valjean

Factory women about Fantine

Thenardier’s about Cosette to Fatine

Valjean about Valjean himself (thinking he is less worthy than others)

Javert about Valjean

Proabaly others for sure but these are the most prominent instances. If you can come up with others, please comment!

Sod (סוֹד) (To help with pronunciation, Sod rhymes with ‘load’) – "secret" ("mystery") or the esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation. 

Some of us are coming up on finals, others of us have them in the future. Regardless your friendly uni-going Mod-Fantine has some personal tips and tricks for studying and school. Our Mod-Marius can attest to these tricks as he has used them. There are a lot of “tips” and “tricks” out there that say they can help but in reality, do very little besides giving the illusion of success. When the essay or test is on the line we need to get down to business!

*I am an American university (college) student. I tried to make my tips as broad as could so everyone in all grades/years could gain something from these tips.

Pomodoro technique

This technique is good for those of us who get distracted on our phones (aka all of us). Basically, it doesn’t matter how long you study, it only matters that when you are studying, you are only studying. So if you can study for 10 minutes without getting distracted, that’s great. It is better to get 10 minutes of good studying in than 10 hours of distracted studying. However long you study well for taking a short break after and then go back. I myself do 25 minutes with 10-minute breaks for math or science. English and anything with writing I do 45 minutes with a 10-minute break.

Focusing

This is a weird tip but if you have trouble focusing pretend you are in a movie. Pretend like there is a study montage. I know this is weird but it helps me and I have no idea why.

Handwriting your notes

My professor told me that you can absorb more of the material if you rewrite your notes in your least dominant language. Now, I am not bi-lingual so this seemed like a throwaway trick. But I found that cursive is my non-dominate writing form and found when I wrote my notes in cursive I had to focus on each word and therefore absorbed more.

Highlight could be bad

When reading something it may be tempting to just highlight sections. RESIST THE URGE! Highlighting feels good, it feels academic but it is an empty activity. What I do is when reading a book, I write notes either on a sticky note or on the book. Then when going back to find quotes I read my notes and easily find the quote. Then and only then do I highlight anything. Making notes/ summaries of each paragraph is far more useful than simply highlighting.

Writing and mechanics

Avoid adverbs! No one jogs quickly but they can run. No one walks heavily, they trudge. Get to the point and then get out. Don’t hum and haw, your reader does not want their time wasted. This is particularly important in university where professors will want academic writing. Creative writing is a different beast altogether, there you can use your lovely adverbs.

One writing tool that I use that is free is http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ . This site allows for you to copy/paste your writing in and then it will check for errors, passive voice and other writing no-no’s.

How to Write a Killer Intro to an Essay

I follow a simple formula with all of my essays. If you have trouble with intros I follow this scaffold.

Famed (PROFESSION), (Person’s name) in his/her (media type) “TITLE” asserts that... (THESIS). 

Example: Famed author Victor Hugo in his novel Les Miserables asserts that people can change. Although, today the idea of change is not so strange in the 1800s the people believed no one could change for good. Examining cultural documents one can see this worldview and the impact it had on societal moral.

This is short and to the point. Professors and teachers rarely like to see rambling and “clearing your throat” paragraphs. Get in and get out.

Preparing for Class

Before going to class Wikipedia the author or topic. I cannot count the number of times a professor will ask about background even though it wasn’t assigned. Knowing just a little about the author or the context of the writing can go a long way in understanding the piece and showing your teacher that you are engaged

Connecting with your instructor

Some might call it brown nosing, kissing butt or polishing apples, but in reality, having a good relationship with your instructor is key! If you have a good connection that your teacher is more likely to move that B+ to an A-. Additionally, showing your engagement will also help if you need an extension. If you show that you know the material and are not just faking it, instructors are more likely to give you leeway. Success comes from what you do but also your grade hangs on by whoever is doing the grading.

These now are just general mental health tips during this stressful time.

Smart is a Bad Word!

When you study you are bound to come across a moment when you think “I’m not smart enough”. ERADICATE THIS WORD OUT OF YOUR MIND! Smart connotes innate skill. Very few of us come into this world initially skilled at a subject. Instead pride yourself on being hard-working. Hard-working is something you can get better at and improve on. Hard-working is directly correlated with what you do and the grade, any label you or anyone puts on you is just a label.

The Value of Failure

None of us are perfect, in fact, I recently got a C on a paper that I worked hard on. But in reviewing your papers I like to do an Author’s Response Feeback. Basically what you do is find one piece of criticism that your instructor left on your paper. Rephrase what they said in your own words, then find one example of this in your writing and explain why what you did was incorrect and how you can improve this point. When I say “improve” I don’t mean thinking ‘I’ll work on it longer’. On my last paper, I said, “I will improve upon narrowing the topic so that I do not have a lot of huge ideas existing without a payoff.”  We might not like to admit it but you can learn just as much from failure as you do success.

MOST IMPORTANT

Know your study style. None of these tips may help you and that is a-okay! If you study best some other way that contradicts any of these points, then continue on with that method!

HAPPY STUDYING!!!!!

Random Resources

For AP Biology or any biology: https://www.youtube.com/user/bozemanbiology

Math: https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy

First off, I am going to be talking about everything about the experience. So if you plan on seeing it or have never seen Les Mis in any form SKIP THIS POST! I do not want to spoil anything for you. But if you cannot see it or already know the plot, this is the post for you!

Before I go on I must say that I went to an Accessibility performance. I don’t know what they are called where you are but that’s what my theater called it. This show was for the deaf, HOH and blind. This means there was a small screen that had subtitles and there were ASL interpreters. Hats off to those interpreters, they were subtle but they also gave a performance all their own. They seemed deeply passionate about A) their work and B) the story. While I did not need those accommodations I am so happy to see theater being opened up to everyone. 

Now on with my review!

The set and general stage design: The show was a bit dark lighting-wise. Les Mis is a darker show, yes, but everything looked like it was happening either evening or midnight. When Valjean is released from prison, it looks like they are doing it in the middle of the night and when Marius runs into Cosette for the first time it looks as if Valjean and Cosette are giving alms at night. 

I know they got rid of the revolving stage but the barricade seemed much sparser and thin. Not a gripe just an observation. I thought they made great use of the space and the set design of the alleys was marvelous. The sewers were excellently staged. The projection made Valjean seem so small and really demonstrated how hard that task was.

I have no idea if this is in all productions but they got rid of the time cards. You know the ones that say ‘Toulon’ or ‘Paris’? I think those time cards explain the story. Imagine if you have never seen the show; it must be confusing to understand the time jumps and location changes. Granted, these time cards were in the program but who is going to remember to look in the program for this info?

Lastly, I love the return to our boi Victor Hugo! They used some of his original art for backdrops and the title is in his original handwriting. I love how this is reconnecting the musical to its origins. It is in less of the big 80s style and more subtle and nuanced. 

Nick Cartell as Valjean: 

10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He played Valjean a bit more angry and human. It is so easy to write Valjean off as a saint or a Jesus figure but Cartell’s Valjean was a flawed human. Valjean is always known as super strong and invincible but Cartell gave Valjean a limp after he leaves Toulon. But going along with not being perfect physically this Valjean is also flawed internally.  He doesn’t magically forgive Javert. He still holds a lot of resentment but knows that lashing out is not the solution. When he lets Javert go at the barricade, he doesn’t look like he wants to, but he knows that it isn’t his job to decide who dies.

BUT BUT BUT.........the connection between his Valjean and Cosette was so sweet! He did this cute thing when he first saves Cosette where he touches his nose and then boops Cosette’s nose. This happens several key times in the show: when they first meet, when Javert almost catches them giving alms and when Valjean dies. My heart just melted!!!!! This really cements that this is a father and daughter.  

Continuing on the idea of this Valjean feeling like a real human... when he gets the letter from Marius meant for Cosette he is like WTF my daughter isn’t a little girl anymore. He pauses throughout the song as if he is processing what Marius is saying. He also regarded Marius as if, “I don’t like you but my daughter does and that is the only thing that matters!” Also during his confession to Marius, he looks at him like: “If Cosette is ever unhappy with you, you better bet I will come running back from wherever I am. NO ONE HURTS MY LITTLE GIRL!”

Vocal-wise this man is now my favorite Valjean. His rendition of Bring Him Home was hauntingly beautiful. Bring Him Home is either one of the most beautiful songs or the worst sounding. It is so easy to miss those high notes but Cartell executes this song perfectly. His voice, in general, leans more towards tenor than the traditional baritone. He never screeched his words and his singing sounded effortless and clean. But seriously, if you ever have the chance to hear him sing Bring Him Home you will not have wasted your time in doing so. 

Josh Davis as Javert:

I loved this harsher toned Javert. As the story goes on, his voice ages and he actually sounds tired when he catches Valjean for the last time. We forget that while we see Valjean’s plight, Javert is also being worn down by the cat-and-mouse chase. I heard criticism from the lady in front of me that this Javert was too robotic. Yes, I agree Davis had a slight William Shatner effect to his words, but I do not think this was a mistake. Javert is very much a man who thinks in order to survive in this world one must do X, Y and Z, never deviate from that and be stoic. His baritone vocals were everything to me, it was a clear contrast between and Valjean’s lighter almost tenor voice.

Javert’s suicide was done beautifully. I dare not spoil how that bit was done but it was well executed!

Joshua Grosso as Marius: 

YES YES YES! You know that part in Les Mis where Hugo writes that Valjean sees Marius as a noddle?

Well, Grosso totally hit that nail on the head. I love how he feels like a real guy in his twenties when he is at the meeting with the other members of Les Amis. He also throws rocks at Cosette’s window... which is so cute. When Cosette leaves her balcony to go down and see him, poor Marius think it means she rejected him and my heart just broke! Marius can be played real foppish and as if he owns the world but this Marius was simply a young man caught up in love.

But, his chemistry with Eponine is to die for! Every Marius I have seen brushes off Eponine and treats her like she isn’t even really a friend. But this Marius and Eponine felt like they had been friends for ages. MUCH LOVE!

Jillian Butler as Cosette: 

I adored this Cosette. If there is one gripe I have about Les Mis the musical as a whole is how little we see of adult Cosette. She is a trauma victim who still sees light and love in the word. Butler as Cosette made the character feel again like a real person. She is scared of Marius when he is throwing rocks at her window. She held on tightly to Valjean when they were giving food to the poor. During the reprise of Heart Full of Love, I have no words to properly explain but she looked and touched Marius in a knowing sort of way. She seemed to be expressing that she had darkness in her past as well and that the grief will pass. I don’t know, this felt like a real character growth moment.

Mary Kate Moore as Fantine: As Mod Fantine, y'all must be wondering what I thought of this Fantine. While this was not my favorite Fantine, I must commend her for playing her much more raw and angry than usual. When the other factory women are accusing her and tormenting her, she fights back. Her I Dreamed a Dream was so raw and angry, it made Fantine less of a tragic waif but more of a tragic fighter. She really tried to survive but in the end, the word is not fair.

Various other thoughts in no particular order:

The caller. You know that bit where the offstage caller goes YOU HAVE NO CHANCE, NO CHANCE AT ALL? This guy really emphasized the part YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS and I was like ‘same bro’.

Bishop Myriel’s overly long note in ‘I have bought your soul for God’. God was more like Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood

Gavroche flipping Javert off after Javert says “EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS, CLEAR THIS GARBAGE OFF THE STREETS!” 

Marius accidentally getting caught in the gate when he tries to see Cosette for the first time. Like he is up there singing and then he has to get down and his coat gets caught. Eponine comes over and saves him and Marius looks a little embarrassed but then goes on singing. A+ on that improv!

Valjean singing with Cosette after he helps her with her bucket. I know a lot of productions do this but this Valjean was sort of hesitant like he’s never sung before but then gets used to it and is enjoying it.

Valjean holding Cosette in the air and spinning. Snow falling in the background really made this once cold environment much warmer ironically.

Any and all slapstick from the Thenardiers. 

Valjean pushing Eponine away from his door when she is delivering Marius’s letter. Like, we know that it is Eponine but to him, it is just some rando at the door.

My dad leaning over and asking who the person in the chair dying was. Because Cartell sang the ending song much higher than is traditional and my dad low-key thinking Cosette was dying and panicking.

Marius accidentally coughing in the sewers. The poor guy is pretending to be dead and there is a crap-ton of fog everywhere. Not to mention that this is Denver, Mile High, notoriously high altitude, Colorado. The poor guy had a coughing fit but Thenardier was moving so much you couldn’t really see it. But heart goes out to you! My asthmatic lungs couldn’t do it.

Sidenote: Thenardier playing with Marius’s ‘dead’ body.

The guy who harasses Fantine in lovely ladies and then acts innocent around Javert.... well his actor was also playing a lawyer in the court when Valjean bursts in with his confession. Not a criticism but I just remember thinking Ah so this is your day job, eh?

Valjean hobbling to the table to light his candlesticks before sitting in his chair to die. This was perfect. It made it clear that Valjean was dying because of loss of hope and love, not from disease. Valjean is strong but what changes him throughout the show is kindness and love and when he has lost that, he withers. BUT MY EYES WERE FULL OF TEARS, I JUST WANTED TO HELP HIM!

Enjolras’s body being shown in a cart that pulls into the scene and Javert having Gavroche’s body thrown into the cart as well.

DID I MENTION THE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GRANTAIRE AND GAVROCHE? MUST PROTECT BOTH AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!

Marius standing farther away from Cosette and Valjean at the end. He knows that this is not really his moment but is there supporting Cosette.

Random old guy who stops Fantine from being harassed at the factory. YES YES YES it shows that while times are rough, there is always kindness somewhere. It really elevates the hope in the show. Like dude, you deserve everything good.  You are the ally everyone needs. It shows that anyone can be a saint and Valjean isn’t the exception.

That bit in the book where Valjean steals the coin from Petit Gervais. I did not know that they added that into the show and I loved it.

Due to the lighting being so dark, one of the main methods of lighting the scene was torches. Now sometimes this felt nice like when the whole town seemingly finds Valjean and returns him to the bishop. It really set the tone of the whole world being against Valjean. But sometimes it set this weird tone of all this happening at midnight.

Top marks to the person waving the big red flag! You go! I aspire to that level of energy in everything I do.

This Grantaire was SUPER nihilistic and I am here for it! Like when he teases Marius for his new love, it almost seemed like ‘enjoy it now because in the end we are all doomed to the abyss from whence we came!’ and then would go back to make sexual jokes and stealing everyone’s drinks. (Some people will disagree but I saw an u/s so his interpretation was perhaps VERY different than what you saw)

This Enjolras was super obsessed with this revolution. People always ship Grantaire and him and here there were 0 shippable moments. When Enjolras says “Grantaire put that bottle down!” he sounded kinda angry. “BRO CUT IT OUT! MY ONLY LOVE IS FREEDOM, QUIT USING THAT BOTTLE AS A PHALLIC SYMBOL OR I WILL PERSONALLY COME OVER THERE AND TAKE IT FROM YOU!” (again I saw an u/s which may account for the difference in performance).

EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY FRICKIN TABLES!!!!!!!!!!!!! That scene got me so hard! When the women are singing Turning, they leave candles on the ground and Marius hobbles in. Then the ghosts of his friends pick the candles up and carrying them off. Enjolras is the last to leave and he shares a long look with Marius as if to say it’s all on you, buddy. Marius grabs his candles and holds it like a glass and raises it to the Heavens, then the spotlight goes out and all we see is the candle before he blows it out. POWERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all, I would describe this tour and version to be the most realistic and human. If you read closely I used words like human and flawed. This version made it clear while there may not be any saints, there are saint-like people and we should all try out best to be our best selves. This has become my favorite production. This version felt fresh and as if this could be anyone’s story. This isn't just some 19th-century French story but a story for the modern person. It speaks to the idea that times can be hard but in the end, if we show kindness, we can all get through this life a little easier.  I first saw this show in 4th grade and now a uni student I can see why this show made such an impression upon my 9-year-old self. This is truly a story that transcends time and I am so honored to have seen it again. 

From our sewer family to yours! May we always seek justice and to care for our fellow man!