#lm 1.1.13

[the-wraxall-illustrations]

[cliozaur]

By Chapter XIII, I can understand the irritation of those reading the Brick for the first time, expecting to encounter some of the main characters, only to find themselves immersed in the bishop’s credo. Personally, I don't mind, but I sympathize with first-time readers. Here are some thoughts on this chapter:

So, just in case anyone still had doubts, Hugo once again hints that Bishop Myriel’s faith is far from orthodoxy.

He is an interesting character: on one hand, we learn about his excessive love for all living creatures, making him akin to Francis d’Assisi and Marcus Aurelius. On the other hand, Hugo mentions that in his youth, M. Myriel was “a passionate, and, possibly, a violent man.” I’m absolutely intrigued and want to know more about his youth, and especially what happened to him in Italy that led him to become a priest. I also want to know what his sister was doing at the time when he was married and leading a passionate and violent life. I suspect that she did not have the chance to experience her share of passions. Therefore, I think it’s unfair to deprive her of little comforts at the dusk of her life.

The details about the peculiarity of the bishop’s faith mirror Hugo’s own views about faith and religion extensively enunciated in the convent digression in the second volume.

An elderly bishop who finds his happiness in the garden is just the first of many others in the Brick for whom a garden is a happy place. If I am not mistaken, there is an essay about imagery of the garden in Les Misérables in a volume about the book and adaptations.  

[la-pheacienne]

mindfulness exercises by bishop myriel ❤️

[pureanonofficial]

LES MIS LETTERS IN ADAPTATION - What He Believed, LM 1.1.13 (Les Miserables 1925)

What more was needed by this old man, who divided the leisure of his life, where there was so little leisure, between gardening in the daytime and contemplation at night? Was not this narrow enclosure, with the heavens for a ceiling, sufficient to enable him to adore God in his most divine works, in turn? Does not this comprehend all, in fact? and what is there left to desire beyond it? A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream. At one’s feet that which can be cultivated and plucked; over head that which one can study and meditate upon: some flowers on earth, and all the stars in the sky.

[thevagueambition]

Les Mis 1.1.12 thoughts

Hugo wouldn't have liked the prosperity gospel, lmao

I get the sense that most of his rant about success being mistaken as deserved success by sheer virtue of being success is vagueing about various contemporaries

In particular, a household manager so rich when he retired he was made finance minister surely must be referring to some specific person/event lmao

I've taken to reading some chapters outloud to my boyfriend and during this chapter he went "I understand why this book is so long if [Hugo] always has to describe the same thing five different ways" which. I mean he's not wrong lol. I do really like those repeating metaphors of Hugo's, though

[dolphin1812]

I was not expecting to spend today learning that Myriel doesn’t like bugs, but also hates hurting them because they’re living things.

Like, his response to seeing an ant is:

“One day he sprained his ankle in his effort to avoid stepping on an ant.”

But he finds spiders so terrifying to look at that he says “it’s not is fault” it looks like that?

It’s kind of funny that’s how he convinces himself to respect all life.

[vapaus-ystavyys-tasaarvo]

Catching up with Les Mis Letters since I haven't really managed to keep up properly this week:

1.1.10

The sun was setting, and had almost touched the horizon when the Bishop arrived at the excommunicated spot. With a certain beating of the heart, he recognized the fact that he was near the lair. He strode over a ditch, leaped a hedge, made his way through a fence of dead boughs, entered a neglected paddock, took a few steps with a good deal of boldness, and suddenly, at the extremity of the waste land, and behind lofty brambles, he caught sight of the cavern.

It was a very low hut, poor, small, and clean, with a vine nailed against the outside.

Near the door, in an old wheel-chair, the armchair of the peasants, there was a white-haired man, smiling at the sun.

^ This is a long passage to quote but I just HAD to highlight the writing here. Hugo's way of playing with the expectation and subversion makes his text just so much fun to read. The build up to the reveal of a monster, using language that's full of connotations: lair, wasteland, cavern... and then the simple, harmless reality.

It doesn't even matter that you can see it coming, it still works, because it demonstrates Myriel's mindset without spelling it out.

I love this chapter so much and I don't even know if I have the energy to get into all the reasons why. The fact that it's such a great response to the first nine chapters, the counter-argument to Myriel. How it perfectly sets up the themes of the novel; on the one hand the message of goodness and charity, on the other the harsh fact that it will never be enough. That in fact violence and terror are inherent in society already and the present system must be destroyed to get rid of them, even if there's no peaceful way to do it. That the violence against the status quo isn't any more violent than the status quo itself.

And that is tragic, and it is difficult to accept, but that doesn't make it less true. He doesn't shy away from mentioning the painful facts about the former prince. But he also reminds you that this is not a valid argument against pursuing justice. You can and should weep for all the children, not just those who were born into privilege.

And it humanises Myriel more than any other chapter, reminds you that he has natural human flaws and biases and pettiness. He wasn't just born perfect. He had those unpleasant instincts, but he did his best to conquer them.

Then there's the tragedy of this scene! As others have pointed out, these two could have been friends, could have given each other so much, but they were kept apart by prejudice on both sides until it was too late. Myriel's slightly hypocritical prejudice that kept him away despite his belief in giving everyone a chance, including bandits! And it's understandable because it's a result of his own background, but it is what it is all the same. And on the other hand G's equally understandable prejudice against bishops, that still lead him to misjudge Myriel and never try to reach out to this person who was doing so much work that G would undoubtedly have approved of.

(Sidenote: shout out to Myriel for having the right instinct not to get defensive about G's wrongful accusations and end up arguing over irrelevant things rather than what really mattered in G's final moments. Especially since he was basically mirroring Myriel's own thoughts so it would have been one of those dumb "no I agree with you!" kind of arguments.)

Both of them isolated for their beliefs, both of them missing the opportunity to find some camaraderie and understanding in each other, even despite their differences in opinion. It hurts.

1.1.12

Don't have a lot to say right now about 1.1.12, but I have to point out that "this infectious virtue is avoided" is a great line

Also the whole speech about success has so many bangers, as others have mentioned

Is the duck reference another pun on canard btw?

1.1.13

one of those strong, thoroughly tried, and indulgent souls where thought is so grand that it can no longer be anything but gentle.

love this concept

some flowers on earth, and all the stars in the sky.

love this line

[fremedon]

Brickclub I.1.13, “What He Believed”

Old men in gardens! Actually we had one two chapters ago--the bishop met G. in the little uncultivated garden around his house, which I think makes it the first significant scene of Old Men in Gardens. Men in gardens, in this book, are always good and trustworthy people; here Hugo pretty much spells that out and tells us why.

The contrast between the bishop’s slow reform from “passionate, even violent” youth into “universal tenderness” and the sudden, even violent change that is asked of Valjean and Javert--that succeeds with one, but never comfortably, and that kills the other--is heartbreaking. Violent, stupid young men born into the bishop’s class can spend their whole lives slowly perfecting their characters. For misérables, moral opportunity might be as rare and unexpected as any other sort of opportunity.

Stray observations:

--Is the bishop the only character we see find comfort in contemplating the stars? We will see Valjean and Javert both perceive the night sky as a threat, and little Cosette as a source of terror. Does anyone else stargaze like this on-page?

--Hugo’s statement about Creation works equally well as an outline of how the book is constructed:

“He reflected on the magnificent union of atoms, which give visible forms to Nature, revealing forces by recognizing them, creating individualities in unity, proportions in extension, the innumerable in the infinite, and through light producing beauty.”

[pilferingapples]

LM 1.1.13

Oh wow, time for Hugo to deploy his deepest insults against Myriel's detractors: "serious", "sober",  "reasonable".   Dire accusations from a Romantic!  True he hasn't called anyone "moderate"yet, but you know he's barely controlling himself! Such language! 

"we admit the possible development of all beauties of human virtue in a belief that differs from our own" --I'm not sure exactly how it reads in the original--I mean , I can read the French on it, but this is a question of Tone and I'm not nearly good enough to Get that-- but I love the ambiguity of this line. Given that Hugo was openly Not Catholic by this point, obviously Myriel's faith is different from his own---but to anyone who didn't know or care much about the personal faith practices of the author, or just wants to read the narrator as Not Hugo, it could also just mean Myriel's particular approach to the Catholic faith. 

- I got curious to know if there even actually were large hairy spiders in France, but my Spider Search Skills have proven Inadequate and I honestly just don't know! But either way I'm frankly offended that Hugo or Myriel would think a spider needs pity, they are fabulous and Good Friends, How Very Dare.  "Not its fault" indeed!  Your FACE isn't its fault, Hugo. 

Anyway if someone can tell me about some Good Spiders in France, lemme know, on this blog We Love and Respect Arachnids. 

French: lui donnaient cet air ouvert et facile qui fait dire d'un homme: «C'est un bon enfant», et d'un vieillard: «C'est un bonhomme». FMA:

that open easy air which makes us say of a man  he is a good fellow and of an old man, he is a good man.

Hapgood:

that open and easy air which cause the remark to be made of a man, "He's a good fellow"; and of an old man, "He is a fine man. RoseL  that open, easygoing air that prompts people to describe a young man as "a good lad" and an old man as "a good old stick". 

...I feel like this is one of those passages where some Colloquial Meaning is being super lost in translation? 

- Of COURSE the Bishop has a Very Impressive Forehead XD

-Pope Gregory XVI was the pope from 1831-1846; Hugo is really not trying to make friends with Catholicism here >< 

- The big Interesting Thing to me in this chapter is Hugo sort of stealthily putting forward his own Theory of Animal Souls ; he had some complicated concepts of reincarnation, soul-relationships , and inherent Animal Beings that I've yet to find any clear explanation for , despite seeing him write about it a lot; it's all very Jeremy Bearimy and one of those things that clearly Makes Sense to Hugo, but I don't know if he ever tried to really clarify it; "big mood" is also  a major part of any Hugo philosophy,  and so many of his ideas depending enormously on trusting that people will just pick up the Vibe he's talking about.  I'm sorry for it , bc the Animal Soul Connection stuff is really interesting, and definitely Relevant to the symbolism in LM.  ..And also very Not Catholic Church Approved, I am aware XD   but at any rate it's certainly a major good point to Myriel that he also picks up on this inherent divine importance of animals! 

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 1.1.13 ‘What he believed‘

This is such a beautiful chapter.

Last chapter we divorced the text’s idea of religion from the doings of the Catholic church; this chapter we locate it in the garden. I think that’s true throughout this text: the church exists as a social institution, and often a social institution for good, but when characters are closest to this story’s notions of God, it’s always in nature and usually in gardens.

We have learned now a number of things we can hold against Myriel. This chapter brings us back to the lovely and luminous whole.

I’m fascinated by the passage that says young Myriel was passionate and even “violent,” and which goes on to explain how he became gentle because he chose to be. The results of this ongoing choice became as absolute and ineradicable as water eroding stone. It’s so counterintuitive, and it’s beautiful: this is a book where people can genuinely choose to change. Goodness isn’t about having always been mild and irreproachable.

If only Valjean had known.

And this passage:

One morning he was in his garden, and thought himself alone; but his sister was walking behind him; all at once he stopped and looked at something on the ground: it was a large, black, hairy, horrible spider. His sister heard him say:

“Poor thing! it is not his fault.”

I have a long list of disagreements with the Les Mis Reading Companion podcast, but one of the host’s more compelling points is about the use of spiders in the text: she connects them to ideas of fate and fatefulness.

If that’s true, this moment feels like the bishop remaining outside the dark fate that binds the other characters, looking ahead at the disasters that follow. If the spider metaphor is right, this passage is an expression of compassion for even the darkest pieces of what is to come.

[the-wraxall-illustrations]

[cliozaur]

A Kantian idyll for Bishop Myriel: "what is there left to desire beyond it? A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream. At one’s feet that which can be cultivated and plucked; over head that which one can study and meditate upon: some flowers on earth, and all the stars in the sky."

[thevagueambition]

Les Mis 1.1.13 thoughts

I'm unsure whether to read Myriel's mildness towards animals as solely a surface level thing -- as further characterisation of Myriel as an exaggeratedly kind person -- or as also, figuratively, a mildness towards animalistic instincts in humans

In either case "it's not the spider's fault it's so disgusting :(" is genuinely endearing

I really do appreciate that Myriel's goodness is not presented as inborn per se, but as something he chose to cultivate (bit like all the gardens in this book, right?)

Presenting "goodness" as an inherent quality of some people is... not something I'm fond of on a literary level and politically it can quickly be used in unfortunate ways

BTW -- anyone know what's meant here?

Monseigneur Welcome had what the people term a "fine head," but so amiable was he that they forgot that it was fine.

My translation uses, roughly, "beautiful head" which would lead me to a different assumption than "fine head"

[dolphin1812]

I’m really interested in this passage from today’s chapter:

“Monseigneur Bienvenu had formerly been, if the stories anent his youth, and even in regard to his manhood, were to be believed, a passionate, and, possibly, a violent man. His universal suavity was less an instinct of nature than the result of a grand conviction which had filtered into his heart through the medium of life, and had trickled there slowly, thought by thought; for, in a character, as in a rock, there may exist apertures made by drops of water. These hollows are uneffaceable; these formations are indestructible.”

The note that he was a violent person who changed out of “conviction”, not out of “instinct”, is such an interesting parallel to Jean Valjean. On one level, their change appears identical: like the bishop, Valjean abandons his violent tendencies (such as stealing a coin from Petit Gervais) out of his belief in the value of kindness. However, Hugo contrasts the bishop’s “conviction” with “an instinct of nature,” implying that he was “passionate” and possibly violent from the beginning. With Valjean, that violence comes from how he was treated in the bagne. We mostly don’t know about his life beforehand; it’s possible stealing bread could be seen as a similar instance of overwhelming emotion, but that emotion again comes from a legitimate response to his circumstances (watching his family starve). The bishop, then, changes to reform himself. Valjean may see his attempt at changing his behavior as a form of penance/redemption, but he’s not changing his inherent qualities. From what we know, his love for his family was his original motivation, and his love for Cosette parallels that. Valjean is unlearning what was drilled into him by experience.