(Guided by middle school students) "Mont Blanc" in the French-speaking world: Victor Hugo

Written in the front: This is a lesson plan for online (distance) teaching for middle school students, and it is also one of the ways to allow students to continue to be exposed to literature when they cannot be guided in writing in physical courses. I think, "writing" is not for the purpose of It is not just mere recitation of formulas or idioms and good sentences;

The real meaning of writing and the value of writing are to leave no regrets in one's life, and to be able to communicate effectively with the outside world and prepare for correct statements at any time. Take off the headphones, pour yourself a cup of black coffee, and see the power and penetrating power of the words. Even in the era of rapid eye movement information explosion, the black and white printed lead fonts are still full of charm... the sound of a hand breaking through the air , The noise in the stillness, the joys and sorrows, the great variety of expressions, nothing is more than the words.

"The widest thing in the world is the ocean, and the thing wider than the ocean is the firmament (sky); however, what can be wider than the firmament (sky) is actually the human mind."

"Human wisdom holds three keys, one to open the "number", one to open the "letter", and the other to open the "note". Knowledge, thought and fantasy are among them."

"Music expresses what cannot be said and cannot be silenced."

"Don't be a spectator of life; if you're a (cold) spectator all your life, there will be no more of yourself in the life that's gone."

"The first 'hunger' of mankind is ignorance."

"What the world lacks is perseverance, not strength."

"Being unmasked is a failure, but unmasking yourself is a victory."

"Life is not born to drag shackles, but to spread wings"

"Pain always follows joy."

"Love is action." (Aimer, c'est agir.)

Hugo (Victor Marie Hugo, 1802 - 1885), an immortal master of modern Western literature, who is revered by the French as "England has Shakespeare, France has Hugo" , was born in Bessan in eastern France, near Switzerland Besançon, whose career trajectory has completely experienced the political turmoil in nineteenth century Europe (the rise of nationalism, resistance to the dictatorship of outsiders) and the many revolutionary movements in France (the fall of Napoleon, the July Revolution, the proclamation of Napoleon III, Franco-Prussian War, etc.), facing the severe test of his eldest daughter's accidental drowning (19 years old) and forced exile (he strongly opposed Napoleon III's coup as emperor, accusing him of treason), he can only commit himself for many years. On a small island in the English Channel, in the twists and turns of fate, Hugo used his own pen to write the world he saw... including beauty and ugliness, good and evil, light and darkness , and love and be loved.

"Romanticism" (Romantisme): After the "Industrial Revolution" (mid-18th century) and the "French Revolution" (1789), artists began to focus on strong and sincere emotions as a source of expression for aesthetic experience, and Emphasize that the past never appeared, such as anxiety, panic, hesitation and other emotions, as well as the awe and emotional worship that humans show when encountering nature; at the same time, literature often discusses the criticism of past history, emphasizing women and children (non-heroic), and reflections and defenses in contrast to the "Age of Enlightenment" (Siècle des Lumières):

The "Age of Enlightenment (rational)" emphasizes the absoluteness (rationality) of deduction and reasoning, while "Romanticism" emphasizes intuition, imagination, and personal perception. Like Die Leiden des jungen Werthers... The main character's actions depend only on how he feels.

As the leader of French art and literature during the "Romantic" period of the 19th century, Hugo's elaborate depictions of Notre-Dame de Paris and Les Misérables are sanctuary-level enough to In addition to the novels that make every junior writer take off their hats and salute, there are many nouns or words deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, such as "Quasimodo", which was originally a simple name, but was later used to describe the synonym of "disgusting face". At the same time, outside of writing, Hugo also actively participated in mass movements, opposed the death penalty, demanded social justice, insisted on freedom of the press, and advocated universal suffrage and a comprehensive education system.

Hugo's classic

Notre Dame de Paris (also translated The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1831)

The New York Times Top 10 Most Famous Books in the World

Background: In 1830, the "July Revolution" broke out in France, ending the restoration of the "Bourbon Dynasty". Taking into account the darkness and cruelty of the feudal monarchy, Hugo created "Notre Dame de Paris", borrowing the Paris society in the fifteenth century AD to reflect his real life.

Story: At the beginning, the woman eloped with the man and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. But not long after, the baby girl was taken away, and at the same time, she was turned into an ugly hunchback baby. The woman could not accept the fact that her precious daughter was stolen and turned ugly, so she randomly discarded the hunchback baby at Notre Dame in Paris. Outside the courtyard...

In 1482, Esmeralda, a graceful and charming gypsy girl, was performing on the streets of Huadu (Paris). Wanting to take it for himself, he sent his adopted son, the bell ringer of Notre Dame, and Quasimodo, who was born with deformities (one-eyed, hunchback, speech impediment), tried to kidnap Esmera on the street at night. Da... but the girl was fortunately rescued by the captain of the Royal Cavalry, Phoebus Châteaupers, and she fell deeply (infatuated) in love with this somewhat frivolous soldier...

Floyd, who loves and hates, decides to do it all the time. When the two meet, he becomes an "uninvited guest" and stabs Phoebe with a knife! But the vice bishop was even more wicked at this time, framing the blame on Esmeralda, and asking her to confess the crime under severe torture, plus the barbarian witchcraft she might have learned, there is a danger of strange power and chaos, and was sentenced by the judge. Death penalty; Quasimodo also had a little love for Esmeralda, so he boldly broke into the court before the execution, snatched the girl, and hid her in the top floor of Notre Dame.

Beautiful girls and deformed monsters, under the sky of Notre Dame, from strangers to acquaintances, Esmeralda gradually entered Quasimodo's "disgusting and kind", real and unpretentious world ... During this period, Jiaxi Mo Duo once subdued the intruder who wanted to insult Esmeralda with his fists, but with the bright moonlight, the silhouette of the figure slowly emerged. When he found out that his adoptive father, Frode, was an idiot who attacked the girl, Quasimo. Many can only silently shrink their hands and retreat to the dark place.

Soon, the cunning Floyd again resorted to tricks, causing the gypsies and the homeless to mistakenly believe that Esmeralda would be forcibly taken away by the authorities, so they gathered in Notre Dame, intending to rescue the girl and leave, and also joined the church. A fierce melee broke out in Quasimodo inside... The unknown king saw the conflict outside the temple and decided to send Phoebus to suppress it! The stones and sticks of the gypsies are naturally no match for the well-trained cavalry, but when Quasimodo came to Esmeralda's room, the girl had been taken away by a stranger in a cloak... …

who? Floyd .

Floyd, who claims to be a holy cleric, once again wooed Esmeralda, and threatened her with only one of the two options of submission or arrest, but the girl was always reluctant to die..." In the midst of his rage, Floyd "threw" Esmeralda to a nun (Gudule) who lived in seclusion near Notre Dame. She had publicly accused Esmeralda of being a despicable thief and took ten Five years ago, her daughter was kidnapped and her bag was stolen. She blamed it on the girl's fault.

Just when the soldiers came to capture Esmeralda, the nun was shocked: Esmeralda is actually... her lost daughter! She didn't want to let go, she cried and made a noise, and came to the execution ground, but she was bent on saving (searching) her daughter's remorse and unwillingness. The soldiers waved and pushed back inadvertently, and she stumbled off with herself. , The nun landed on her head and died on the spot.

Quasimodo frantically searched for Esmeralda's whereabouts, but watched the girl's white dress fall on the gallows in the distance, and there was a horrible disfigurement of his adoptive father, Floyd, like a ghost . Unable to bear the hypocrisy and humiliation of this hypocrisy, I did my best to push the Archbishop off the roof...

As the sun went down, Quasimodo disappeared in Notre Dame.

Two years later, the corpses of Quasimodo and Esmeralda were unexpectedly found in the cemetery, but when others tried to separate them, they were nothing but ashes.

Influence: Hugo made Notre Dame a narrative drama or epic, recounting the history of all people, and using Notre Dame as a witness, that is, the "silent protagonist (spectator and bystander)" ; This work was also the first work at that time with a bottom-level figure as the core protagonist. Even because of the success of the work, it stimulated the first historical and cultural relics protection movement in modern Europe, and promoted the medieval "Gothic architecture" (Art gothique) style. revival again.

"Les Miserables" (also translated "Lone Star Tears", 1862)

"The punishment of the unrighteous, the redemption of the condemned, the depiction of suffering, the influence of the sages"

Hugo said that this is a religious work, and that "the highest law is conscience".

Nearly 40 years of time, more than 1.1 million words, Hugo defines what a "novel" is

Hugo's novel version is divided into five parts (units) based on events or characters; and the musical version that everyone is familiar with today is divided into four acts (units) based on time. ). To accompany (and facilitate) the guide, I use the musical timeline.

Prologue (1815)

Jean Valjean, "24601" who has been in prison for 19 winters and summers, finally obtained a parole order and was able to leave the dark life without the light of day; however, his freedom did not allow him to truly usher in "" freedom", but he was discriminated against everywhere, forcing him to live on the streets...

Although Bishop Myriel kindly took in Shang Wanqiang, in the middle of the night, the uneasy feeling of poverty and hesitation for many years made him return to his old ways and stole the silver candlestick of the Bishop's Church! But not long after he left, the police caught Shang Wanqiang, who looked flustered, and brought him to the bishop to confront him: not only did the bishop not expose or scold him, but instead blamed him, saying that it was a voluntary gift to passers-by. The police let him down, and he immediately cried and begged the bishop for forgiveness. Miriel didn't say anything, but asked the "prodigal son" to swear to entrust his soul to God from now on and be a new man! The bishop also gave another silver candlestick to Jean... God's mercy made him feel the power of mercy and tolerance, tearing up the parole order, and he was determined to start a new life.

1823

Eight years passed quickly, and Shang Wanqiang fulfilled his vows and completely changed his face. He not only changed his name to Monsieur Madeleine, but also became a beloved mayor and factory manager, and was also known for his charity and helping others; At this time, Fantine, a female worker in the factory under his name, was suffering from a miserable situation... Young passion and unknown life, she was pregnant with a girl, but she didn't know that the heartless man walked away and only Leave mother and daughter to depend on each other. For the sake of little Cosette, Fonteyn had to foster her with the hotel owners M. & Mme. Thénardier...

The ardent yearning for Cosette gave Fontine incomparable strength, and all the hard-earned money was sent to Tenati, but who knew that Cosette was weak and sick as mentioned in the letter by the couple. is fictitious! The hard-earned money actually went into Tenati's demanding pocket! Another accident, Fang Ting's letter fell into the hands of a colleague who likes to talk. The colleague not only despised her, but also joined the foreman to drive her away... The unwitting Shang Wanqiang signed the official document, and Fang Ting was mercilessly arrested. Forced to lose his job. Fonteyn sold a necklace box and a long hair, but faced with the dilemma of nowhere, she could only join the ranks of the goddesses (prostitutes) in the dock area and sell her soul in the most primitive way...

One day, Fonteyn rejected a rude seeker, and the two fought fiercely when Javert, the newly appointed Iron-masked Sheriff, arrived, and he directly convicted her indiscriminately. The mayor who witnessed this scene stopped her, and Shang Wanqiang asked Jia Wei to let Fangting go and send her dying to the hospital for recuperation.

When Jia Wei was about to argue with the mayor, an old man on the street was accidentally pinned down by a carriage. Shang Wanqiang immediately stepped forward and pushed up the carriage! The inexhaustible strength evoked Jia Wei's vague memory of the criminal numbered "24601" in the past, especially "24601" who committed a crime of theft after parole, which should have increased the punishment... But at this moment, suspecting that the mayor is a thief obviously does not. too reasonable.

Unexpectedly, the police arrested a blacksmith at this time, claiming that he was "24601" who had been on the run for a long time. Javi originally thought that he had wrongly blamed the mayor. However , the upright Shang Wanqiang could not tolerate that his cowardice might cause innocent people's harm, so he came to the court and confessed his identity to everyone in person. He is "24601"! Jia Wei wanted to arrest Shang Wanqiang in court, but Shang Wanqiang was worried about Fontey's weak body, so he knocked Jia Wei unconscious and escaped.

On the sickbed, Fontey entrusted the future of little Cosette to Shang Wanqiang with indescribable gratitude, and he repeatedly promised to take good care of and accompany her; Quietly end in my thoughts and draw a period. The responsible Shang Wanqiang also hurried to the town that Fonting had mentioned, to "rescue" her poor orphan.

1823

She has been by the side of the Thanatis for five years, but little Cosette has been tortured and abused all the time. She is called and called around like a maid or child laborer. Ning (Éponine) is much loved, and the lives of the two little girls are like a world apart... But Cosette doesn't have the resources to complain, and can only secretly hope that the mother in her dreams will one day come to pick her up and be reunited.

Cosette was struggling to fetch water in the dark when Jean-Vinegar came to the tavern. Without saying a word, he insisted on taking Cosette away. Tenati saw "God of Wealth" coming to the door by himself, of course, he used his cunning face to blackmail Shang Wanqiang! After paying the sky-high 1,500 francs, it was the ransom and the price for getting out of the sea of misery. Cosette finally left the cage of the tavern. Shang Wanqiang took her to Paris and took care of Cosette in the name of fatherly love. The joy brought great relief and satisfaction to these two wanderers who had been tortured by fate.

However, the shadow of Javi's judge still hangs over Shang Wanqiang at night, lingering.

1832

After growing up, the slender Cosette fell in love with the revolutionary young Marius Pontmercy, and Shang Wanqiang was involved in the rebellion against the monarchy and the pursuit of the republic. During the melee, Yiyi hid in the ranks of the revolutionary army, intending to disrupt and destroy in the rear... But his deeds were revealed, and he was discovered by the revolutionary army, so he was detained.

Shang Wanqiang volunteered and was willing to deal with Jia Wei, but after he took over, not only did he not hurt Jia Wei, but instead let him live; on the other hand, the revolutionary army, mainly students, was outnumbered in this wave of uprising, and the casualties were extremely tragic , Mario himself was seriously injured! After Shang Wanqiang rescued the unconscious Mario in the street battle, he and Javi met again on a narrow road. Jia Wei was grateful for Shang Wanqiang's grace of not killing him, and also remembered his past kindness and tolerance, so he let go of Shang Wanqiang. Wan Qiang and Mario... realize that the legal process itself does not involve morality, but arresting Shang Wanqiang is his duty as a police officer (civil servant) after all . Under the incomparable inner contradiction and suffering, Jia Wei finally chose to commit suicide by throwing himself into the river.

The young Mario quickly recovered and was fine, and Jean-Vinegar also promised him and Cosette's marriage, and even more generously gave a gift of nearly 600,000 francs. Worrying that his status as a wanted criminal might drag down the good future of the two, Shang Wanqiang confessed to Mario that he had a number of previous convictions, and asked him to keep it a secret. However, Mario, who advocates morality and worships heroism, cannot agree with the background of Shang Wanqiang's "rehabilitation" and regards him as a stubborn social scum, so he refuses Shang Wanqiang to have any further contact with Cosette...

Desperate and sad, but has acquiesced to Mario's proposal, Jean-Vintage resolutely left Cosette and Mario's lover world... But Mr. Tenati made a wicked visit and wanted to crush Jean-Vintage When Mario had little weight left in his heart, in the corner of the clothes left in the melee, he realized to his surprise: Shang Wanqiang was his savior when he was in a coma! Violently, after slapping the villain Tenati with the banknotes, Mario hurriedly took Cosette to find Cham Wanqiang...

Mario and Cosette rushed to his apartment on the eve of his death to express their incomparable gratitude. In the dying stage, he was relieved and satisfied, recalling all the footprints from the black prison of "24601" to the present. , With the grace of the bishop and the entrustment of Fonteyn, with the forgiveness of Jia Wei and the guidance of God, everything is full of thanks and redemption. Shang Wanqiang finally left the world with a smile and calmly left the world.

Lone Star no longer shed tears, because the stars are already shining,

The world is no longer miserable, because great love conquers darkness.

Trivia:

Shortly after the novel was published, as the political situation changed, Hugo went into exile. It is said that he used the "?" symbol to telegraph to his English-language publisher, wanting to know the market sales of the work. The publishing house also responded with a tacit "!" , indicating that the market performance is very bright.

end:

Vietnam's emerging religion "Cao Dai Sect" (Đạo Cao Đài) has the so-called "three saints", that is, the prophets between God and human beings , namely the Vietnamese poet and prophet Nguyen Binh Thien , the "Father of the Nation" Sun Wen of the Republic of China, and Victor Hugo ...

Image source, together with thanks to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Misérables

https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Les-Miserables-The-Movie/0IVA2IS8SEAORZFKP3INVBHAEI?_encoding=UTF8&language=en_TW

https://www.amphitheatrecogeco.com/en/shows/notre-dame-de-paris-2022