#LM 3.4.1

[cliozaur]

It's delightful to see how the fandom woke up and became lively as we approached the chapter about Les Amis de l'ABC! The boys are real tumblr sweethearts! And it is absolutely impossible to write a meaningful reflection about them just in one day and in one go. It wouldn't do them justice. That’s why I will write some random thoughts and questions instead.

Marius has just lost his family and is on the brink of discovering a new one, that’s why we have this explanation: “These young men formed a sort of family, through the bond of friendship.”  And it is worth noting that Hugo is defining les Amis through their family stories, particularly their fathers (or their absence, as in the case of Feuilly).

Speaking of Feuilly, who represents the working class within the group and stands out with his internationalism among these French patriots, Hugo dedicates two-thirds of his introduction to explain the evils of imperialism (though he has nothing to say about the French imperialism, so he is mainly criticizing the Russian, Ottoman and Habsburg Empires). The partition of Poland serves as a prime example of the far-reaching consequences of these evils.

Hugo specifically emphasizes that all the members of Les Amis (except Laigle) come from the South; they are not Parisians (with Gavroche being the only true Parisian later joining them). This implies that their language and speech patterns would be distinct (Eugene Weber noted that until the 1880s, people from the South of France and some other regions had difficulty understanding French, although this does not apply to boys from the educated class. However, the difference may still be discernible).

Most of the boys do not have first names! Hugo does this again!

Poor Courfeyrac, he deserves better than being compared to Tholomyès. However, we’ll see more of him "in action" later to understand him better. Perhaps the best part about him is that he can be considered as Marius' closest friend.

Isn't it paradoxical that we know so much about Enjolras' appearance, character, and beliefs, yet almost nothing about the origins of his convictions? I'm very curious to know where this boy from a wealthy family acquired his leftist, republican ideals. Did he find them in books? Did he have a mentor? Was there someone who inspired him?

I genuinely wonder if Hugo, with his profound classical education, was unaware of the strong homoerotic subtext in comparing Enjolras and Grantaire to Orestes and Pylades. Or perhaps he believed that his readers were not that “spoilt” to even think of such things?

[claireverlasting]

Enjolras, named first-later we will see why-was an only son and was rich. He was a charming young man, capable of being intimidating. He was angelically beauti­ful. He was Antinous, wild. You would have said, seeing the thoughtful reflection of his eye, that he had already, in some preceding existence, been through the revolu­tionary apocalypse. He knew its tradition like an eyewit­ness. He knew every little detail of that great thing. A pontifical and warrior nature, strange in a youth. He was officiating and militant; from the immediate point of view, a soldier of democracy; above the movement of the time, a priest of the ideal.

Also look at his little bow :3

[empressofkashyr]

A Group That Barely Missed Becoming Historic, or as I like to call it, the chapter that launched a thousand ships

[mabeuf5]

les mis 3.4.1 am i right 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

[dolphin1812]

They’re here at last!!!

I love all of Les Amis, but their introductory paragraphs have also been pretty thoroughly analyzed - @everyonewasabird and @fremedon have pretty comprehensive posts on them from previous Brickclubs. Rather than go through them individually, then, I’ll try to point out some general trends that would be relevant to Marius (given that we meet them as soon as he’s kicked out of his house, we can assume there’s a connection):

The first major issue is the legacy of the French Revolution (1789) and the Terror (1793). All of the characters we meet here (with the exception of Grantaire) are attached to the legacy of the former, but they’re divided over the latter. Enjolras, for instance, is compared to Saint-Just – a more radical figure from that time period – and with his “warlike nature” and link to the “revolutionary apocalypse,” he’s definitely more in the tradition of ‘93 than ‘89, even if he’s attached to both. Combeferre, on the other hand, fears that kind of violence, only finding it acceptable if the only alternative is for things to stay the same. Like Marius’ newfound Bonapartism, all of their ideas come out of the clash and evolution of thought after the Revolution and the French Empire under Napoleon, placing each Ami in a similar position to him as they work out their ideas. All of them, though, came to a different conclusion than Marius, prioritizing the Republic over the Empire. At the same time, they’re all distinct from each other, too, revealing the diversity in French republican thought. With his limited exposure to political ideas outside of royalism (and now, idolization of Napoleon), the myriad veins of republicanism that the Amis offer broaden up the political sphere of the novel significantly.

On top of that, they’re a group; they can learn from each other in a way that Marius hasn’t had a chance to. Even Grantaire, who claims to not believe in anything, has friends, and while he distances himself from specific ideologies, his jokes illustrate that he’s familiar with them (for example: “He sneered at all devotion in all parties, the father as well as the brother, Robespierre junior as well as Loizerolles”). Marius doesn’t have friends or people to really work through ideas with. Oddly enough, the most similar structure to this that we’ve seen so far is the royalist salon. The key difference (aside from the obvious) is the chance to learn from different perspectives, whether that’s based on variations in republicanism, in priorities (conflict vs education, the local vs the international), or both. They’re not even all defined by their politics. Courfeyrac (who easily has the most insulting character introduction in the book) is defined by his character and personality first, with his political ideas mainly being a given from his participation in this group. These variations in emphasis, then, not only show us the diversity of their views, but the varying intensities with which they hold them (as in, you could talk to Courfeyrac about something that isn’t political, but you couldn’t do that with Enjolras) and how they’re kept together in spite of their disagreements (a common goal – a Republic – and many fun and socially savvy members). All of these factors serve to give a sense of liveliness as well, contrasting sharply with the “phantoms” of the royalist salon.

Les Amis aren’t very diverse class-wise, but they’re still better than the salon. Bahorel and Feuilly, at least, aren’t bourgeois or aristocrats.

Feuilly also brings us to the international level, far beyond Marius’ early attempts at imagining himself as part of a country. Focusing on the partition of Poland in particular, Feuilly advocates for national self-determination in all lands under imperial rule. The idea that a people should govern themselves was key to republican thought more broadly in that time (nationalism really took shape in the 18th-19th centuries), but to Feuilly, this isn’t just an issue of nationalism, but of tyranny:

“There has not been a despot, nor a traitor for nearly a century back, who has not signed, approved, counter-signed, and copied, ne variatur, the partition of Poland.”

The word “despot” ties this back to France in a way, with his rejection of despotism as it affects Poland possibly implying a similar anger at the same phenomenon in France. The Bourbons at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 were, after all, the same Bourbons who ruled during the Restoration. A quick note on Lesgle: I didn’t get the joke around “Bossuet” the first time I read this book. Then, I had to take a class on the French monarchy, and I was assigned a text by Bossuet of Meaux, court preacher to Louis XIV and fierce proponent of absolutism. His name seemed familiar, but it took me a while to think to check Les Mis? And now I think calling Lesgle Bossuet because he’s Lesgle (like l’aigle=eagle) of Meaux is one of the funniest jokes in this book.

[secretmellowblog]

I’m going to join a Group. Sure hope it becomes historic

[syrupsyche]

in honour of our boys appearing yet again for Les Mis Letters, here is a look at their names + my favourite lines from the Chinese translation of Les Mis (by Li Dan and Fang Yu)

Enjolras = 安灼拉 (Ān zhuó lā)

安 meaning peace

灼 meaning burning/bright

“他有天使那么美。” = He was as pretty as an angel

“他在欢乐中也不苟言笑” = He did not smile even when he was happy.

“他是自由女神云石塑像的情人” = He was lady liberty's marble lover.

Combeferre = 公白飞 (Gōng bái fēi)

公 can be found in the word 公平, meaning just

白 meaning white (which makes me think of: "Combeferre was as gentle as Enjolras was severe, through natural whiteness.")

飞 meaning flight

安灼拉近于义，公白飞近于仁。= Enjolras was closer to righteousness, Combeferre was closer to kindness.

如果这两个青年当年登上了历史舞台，也许一个会成为公正无私的人，而另一个则成为慎思明辨的人 = If these two young men had ascended the stage of history, one would have been a fair and just man, and the other a careful and discerning man.

公白飞也许能双膝着 地，两手合十，以待未来天真无邪地到来，希望人们去恶从善的巨大 进化不至于受到任何阻扰。= Combeferre would have gone on his knees, hands clasped, and bring about the innocent arrival of the future, and hoped that nothing would impede the evolution of the people.

Jean Prouvaire/Jehan = 让·勃鲁维尔 (Ràng·bó lǔ wéi'ěr) / 热安 (Rè ān)

shares an 安 with Enjolras, meaning peace

让·勃鲁维尔是个多情种子 = Jean Prouvaire was the affectionate type

他说起话来语调轻缓，俯首低眉，腼腆地微笑着，举动拘束，神气笨拙，无缘无故地脸羞得通红，胆怯。然而，猛不可当 = He spoke in a soft and tender tone, bowed his head and lowered his gaze, smiled shyly, moved reservedly, had a clumsy air, his face would flush red for no reason, and was timid. But his ferocity was undaunted.

Feuilly = 弗以伊 (Fú yǐ yī)

他只有一个念头：拯救世界。他还另外有种愿望：教育自己，他说这也是拯救自己 = He only had one thought: to rescue the world. He also had another wish, to educate himself, which he said was also to rescue himself.

弗以伊是个性情豪放的人。他有远大的抱负。这孤儿让人民为父母 = Feuilly had a bold temperament. He had great ambitions. This orphan took the people in, and became their parent.*

Courfeyrac = 古费拉克 (Gǔ fèi lākè)

克 meaning overcome or subdue

古费拉克确实具有人们称为鬼聪明的那种青春热力。这种热力，和小猫的可爱一样 = Courfeyrac had what one might describe as the cleverness and passion of youth. This passion can also be found in the cuteness of a kitten

不过古费拉克是个诚实的孩子 = However, Courfeyrac was an honest boy.

在多罗米埃身上蕴藏着一个法官，在古费拉克身上蕴藏着一个武士。 = In Tholomyès' body contained a judge; in Courfeyrac's body contained a knight.

安灼拉是首领，公白飞是向导，古费拉克是中心。= Enjolras was the leader, Combeferre was the guide, Courfeyrac was the heart.

Bahorel = 巴阿雷 (Bā ā léi)

雷 meaning thunder

巴阿雷是个善于诙谐而难与相处的人，诚实，爱花钱，挥霍到近于奢侈，多话到近于悬河，横蛮到近于不择手段，是当魔鬼最好的材料 = Bahorel was a humourous man, though difficult to get along with, honest, spendthrift, spending to the point of extravagance, talking to the point of eloquence, bold to the point of brashness and had the perfect makings of a devil.**

他的父母是农民，对父母他是知道反复表示敬意的。= His parents were peasants, and he knew to often treat them with much respect.

关于他们，他常这样说：“这是些农民，不是资产阶级，正因为这样，他们才有点智慧。” = Regarding them, he often said: "These are peasants, not bourgeois; thus they are the wiser."

Lesgle/Bossuet = 赖格尔 (Lài gé ěr) / 博须埃 (Bó xū āi)

博须埃是个遭遇不好的快乐孩子。他的专长是一事无成，相反地对一切都付之一笑。= Bossuet was an unfortunate, but happy child. His specialty was to achieve nothing, and would laugh at everything.

他能很快用到他最后一个苏，却从不会笑到他的最后一声笑。= He could quickly spend his last sou, but he would never smile a last smile.

Joly = 若李 (Ruò lǐ)

他认为人和针一样，可以磁化，于是，他把卧室里的床摆成南北向，使他血液的循环不致受到地球大磁场的干扰 = He believed man and needle were the same - able to be magnetized - and so he had his bed turned facing the north and south to prevent his blood circulation from receiving any interferences from the Earth's magnetic field.

可是在所有这些人中，他是最热闹的一个 = But amongst these men, he was the liveliest of them all.

年轻，乖僻，体弱，兴致高，这一切不相连属的性格汇集在他一人身上，结果使他成了个放荡不羁而又惹人喜爱的人 = Young, eccentric, frail, and cheerful: all these individual characteristics constituted his being, resulting in a peculiar man whom people were fond of.

Grantaire = 格朗泰尔 (Gé lǎng tài ěr)

朗 meaning bright or clear

格朗泰尔是个不让自己轻信什么的人。= Grantaire was a person who did not allow himself to believe in anything.

这个乱七八糟的怀疑者在这一伙信心坚定的人中，向谁靠拢呢？向最坚定的一个 = To whom did this mess of a skeptic lean towards in this group of confident and steadfast men? To the most resolute.

没有谁比瞎子更喜爱阳光。没有谁比矮子更崇拜军鼓手。= No one could love the sunlight more than the blind man. No one could worship the drummer more than the dwarf.

这是种深深的矛盾，因为感情也是一种信念。= This is deeply contradictory, for love*** is also a form of belief.

他经常受到安灼拉的冲撞，严厉的摈斥，被撵以后，仍旧回来，他说，安灼拉“是座多美的云石塑像”！= He was often attacked and harshly rebuked by Enjolras. Still, he would return even after being driven out, and say that Enjolras "could be a beautiful, marble statue!"

—

If anyone is interested in other lines and what they have been translated to, feel free to let me know and I can dig it up for you! And thanks for reading all this way :)

*Other Chinese speakers pls help me verify if this is an accurate translation? Idk why this particular sentence is tripping me up.

**Verification on his translation most welcome too; this REALLY sent me on a doozy.

***感情 can also be translated as feelings, affection, fondness etc. Used as "He has feelings for him."

[anarchical-doubter]

sometimes i sit here and think 'yeah i'm a pretty normal person'. and then i remember that i am fully preparing myself to write a 20-ish page academic paper on how enjolras and grantaire directly relate to achilles and patroclus and that love and passion conquers fear and cynicism

[motions1ckn3ss]

happy a group which barely missed becoming historic day to all who celebrate

[lmchaptertitlebracket]

Round 1, Matchup 135: III.ii.1 vs IV.iv.1

[still-july]

a group which barely missed becoming historic!!! possibly my favorite chapter in the whole book because we get introduced to combeferre my beloved <333 and the rest of the amis but they're not important lol

[ruedesfillesducalvaire]

Hiii do you have/know any specific lines where e and r are compared to Achilles and Patroclus? I haven't read the book yet but am very much curious

yeah so basically vicky compares grantaire to a whole bunch of greek dudes who simped hard, one of those being patrocles, with enjolras obviously as the achilles figure.

here's the passage (from 3.4.1 i think):

as you can see, the most direct comparison is to orestes and pylades, but achiles and patrocles is the reference most instantly recognisable to a modern audience so that's the one i tend to mention :)

[claireverlasting]

Among all these passionate hearts and all these undoubting minds there was one skeptic. How did he hap­pen to be there? Through juxtaposition. The name of this skeptic was Grantaire, and he usually signed with the rebus: R [grand-R, capital R]. Grantaire was a man who took great care not to believe anything.

Enjolras, being a believer, disdained this skeptic, and being sober, scorned this drunkard. He granted him a bit of haughty pity. Grantaire was an unaccepted Pyhides. Always treated rudely by En jolras, harshly repelled, rejected, yet returning, he said of Enjolras, "What a fine statue !"

[thelawsofdaylight]

In this club of young Utopians, occupied chiefly with France, [Feuilly] represented the outside world. He had for his specialty Greece, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Italy. He uttered these names incessantly, appropriately and inappropriately, with the tenacity of right. The violations of Turkey on Greece and Thessaly, of Russia on Warsaw, of Austria on Venice, enraged him. Above all things, the great violence of 1772 aroused him. There is no more sovereign eloquence than the true in indignation; he was eloquent with that eloquence. He was inexhaustible on that infamous date of 1772...

Listen. I know he doesn't have many lines in the book. But I truly believe to my core that one thing about Feuilly is he's a yapper through and through!! This man will NOT shut up if you get him going about something he's passionate about!!!

My hot take is that a lot of the fanon characterisation of Enjolras as someone who's always angry and prone to outbursts are actually more suited to Feuilly- I really think he's the one who gets enraged easily and rants about injustice for hours on end. Feuilly is the one who makes Everything about political causes, all the time, without fail. Incessantly!! Appropriately and inappropriately!! Feuilly is ALWAYS talking politics, all the time, he doesn't know how to do anything else!!

And yes, Enjolras is very much the same in that respect. But to me the difference between them is that Enjolras is far more Quiet and Serene and Reserved. Whereas Feuilly WILL make it everyone else's problem. You ARE going to hear about the injustice of Poland's partitioning and how that relates to counter-revolutionary movements gaining footholds across Europe and you WILL be asked if you're going to sit aside and let that injustice continue and you'll answer no, of course not, but Feuilly will STILL be talking, and you will still have to sit there and listen and also you will hear this AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN every single time you meet him and you will wonder: does Feuilly ever shut up? And the answer is NO, he won't, not until the whole Earth is free.

[lesmisletters]

Hello!

Just a heads up that I often/usually find posts to reblog by searching the tag for the current chapter. So If you don’t tag your post with the current chapter, I am likely to miss it, and also will struggle to find it in future years.

For example, Volume 4 Book 3 Chapter 1 == the tag ���lm 4.3.1.”

The tagging system helps a lot!

You can also @me in posts to make me aware of them, but using the tagging system makes my life easier.

[lesmisletters]

Is he…you know…3.4.1

so stupid that i thought when people were putting “lm 3.4.1” everyone was saying “i’m 3.4.1” i fully convinced myself that everyone was coming up with a new way of gay-coding