regshoe

even more Hugolian and Republican than the more watered-down English version "Do you hear the people sing?"

Oh, yeah, definitely :D And now I'm listening to the finale reprise, which may be even better—the English version really waters that one down by making it all about heaven, but the French is very much about the continuing fight for change on Earth. Hugo would approve!

I really liked Ninety-Three! (I wrote a post about it here). It is a lot—very much Hugo grappling with what he sees as the most important thing in history—and has some amazing character moments and imagery. Apart from Hugo I haven't read much French fiction at all—I might have to delve into other French Romantics if they're anything like this.