Victor Hugo was one of the prominent literary figures of the nineteenth century. His writing provides a scathing social critique while also presenting the hope for a brighter future. Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of the musical version of this novel, recognized the power of Hugo’s writing and adapted the novel Les Misérables as a Broadway musical. The combination of literature and music that came about through Mackintosh’s adaptation resulted in one of the longest running Broadway musicals of all time.
I was also fortunate enough to share the epic scope of the finale of the Broadway show with my English 492 class, which ultimately reveals how there is, indeed, hope for a better tomorrow. In Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, and in its subsequent Broadway adaptation that Cameron Mackintosh produced, Hugo utilizes the final two chapters to suggest that the pain and suffering within the present moment can dissipate with the passage of time, and the musical exhibits that same idea through a powerful finale.
Les Misérables is a work of literature that has affected generations of readers ever since it was originally published during the nineteenth century. Its universal themes of love, hope, and redemption remind people that there is still hope for a better tomorrow. In fact, my presentation revealed how a literary work can combine with music so that the themes of the novel resonate with an even larger audience. Additionally, some people might be illiterate, and would not be able to understand the themes that Victor Hugo explores in his novel. In contrast to the limitations of written text, music has the ability to go beyond what people can write because music is like a universal language. Finally, music and literature both interconnect because they both serve the purpose of communicating ideas. Language barriers might inhibit the transmission of messages, but people can still hear the sounds associated with music so that they can at least have an idea of what another person might try to convey. Ultimately, music can take a foreign piece of literature, and express its ideas in a way that profoundly affects the mind and the heart, much like how Jean Valjean dynamically changed into a more fully-realized person by the conclusion of Les Misérables.
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