50 The Draw - Bastille

*elaborate red stringboard argument about how different characters in Les Mis are living in different genres and Cosette is Fairy Tale so hard that she changes other people's narrative genres when she brings them in to her life*

the triumvirate!

very good, sir

enjolras was a charming young man who was capable of making u cry

72tober day 4!

you are wrong to laugh, messieurs. puns are sometimes serious in politics.

literary analysis being posited as this boring grueling penance that only miserable people insist on is very dumb as an idea but its even more dumb to me, the guy who gets so excited about it that he has to clap and pound his fists against the ground and walk in circles at a dizzying speed unbeknownst to man

on this day 10 years ago George Blagden posted a cover to his yt channel. the world hasn’t been the same since.

happy 10th anniversary to “?”, I made a little something to celebrate :)

disco enjolras out of context

I'm never sure how much of a Thing it's supposed to be, because of the novel framework, but...

it stands out to me that all of Grantaire's self-claimed republican knowledge is First Republic history:  I have read Prudhomme, I know the Social Contract, I know my constitution of the year Two by heart. `The liberty of one citizen ends where the liberty of another citizen begins.' Do you take me for a brute? I have an old bank-bill of the Republic in my drawer. The Rights of Man, the sovereignty of the people, sapristi! I am even a bit of a Hebertist. I can talk the most superb twaddle for six hours by the clock, watch in hand."

Like... this is all important history and even foundational philosophy! But in terms of convincing people right now ? No one's going to the barricades for Hebert. People aren't going to risk their lives and liberty because Robespierre was So Right.* People don't throw their current, actually-living selves into a dangerous situation because a bunch of people who died before they were born had some Good Points, even if they totally believe in the points. People risk their lives for Shit Going Down now.

Why is a republic urgent now, what are the main advantages people can --even abstractly!-- hope for from it? What are the current outrages? What's hurting them about the situation right now? Principles are important and crucial, of course, but there's a big gap between getting across the abstract concept and showing how that concept is relevant right now, to this audience . Even the most eager True Believer would be sensible to ask " why now " for something like they're planning-- why now and not autumn, or next year, or during the next labor protest, etc etc etc. That's why Enjolras sends the others to the specific groups he sends them to! Because those are the groups whose immediate interests and concerns they can engage with best!

And that's exactly what Grantaire cannot do, even for himself. He can't argue for how immediate action will improve things because he doesn't think it will. He can agree the current situation Sucks; he can't believe anything anyone does will make it better. That's his whole entire failure point!

So of course he fails.

(...and , added knife-twist that I'm sure Grantaire notices: Enjolras sends everyone to the groups they can best influence....and he doesn't want to send Grantaire to anyone. And he is, of course, right on all fronts. I'm sure that leads to just the HEALTHIEST thought-loops.><)

...as volatile as FRev academic discussion gets sometimes, it's mostly not going to result in barricades and guns at dawn. Mostly.

This is one of my favourite chapters in the whole book for many reasons (not least because I am an ExR girlie through and through), but I always enjoy this passage in particular:

Enjolras was content. The furnace was being heated. He had at that moment a powder train of friends scattered all over Paris. He composed, in his own mind, with Combeferre’s philosophical and penetrating eloquence, Feuilly’s cosmopolitan enthusiasm, Courfeyrac’s dash, Bahorel’s smile, Jean Prouvaire’s melancholy, Joly’s science, Bossuet’s sarcasms, a sort of electric spark which took fire nearly everywhere at once. All hands to work. Surely, the result would answer to the effort. This was well.

Firstly bc a) 'Enjolras was content' it's all I want for him fr.

But also I just love how well it shows that Enjolras values the other members of Les Amis, both in their contributions to the Cause, and as his friends. Like a good leader should, he clearly knows their strengths and how to play to them, and it's one of those moments where you really understand how Les Amis work as a unit (Grantaire's contribution notwithstanding...)

"Surely, the result would answer to the effort. This was well." He's so full of hope I'm screaming crying throwing up

“Go outside and touch grass” well I can’t 🙄 A curse is on me if I stay my weaving, either night or day, to look down to Camelot

Enjolras and an anxious Joly

soooo curious potatosonnet my beloved, have you drawn marius' cousin Théodule yet?

now i have

barricadescon has got So Many les mis thoughts circling through my brain. anyway I realized I haven't drawn a good Grantaire in a while so here he is.

Registration for Barricades 2023 has been extended! You now have until the morning of the con, July 14 at 5 AM UTC (find out when that is in your time zone here)!

There are still scholarships available to cover the £10 cost of a ticket - just email [email protected] to request one!

Your ticket will grant you access to all panels and chat spaces during the con, as well as the ability to watch all recorded panels for two weeks after (to catch any you may have missed). In addition, artists may sign up for Artists' Alley for no extra cost and display their work in a dedicated con space.

Visit our website to purchase tickets and check out our programming lineup, which includes panels and talks on everything from academics to history to musical theater to fandom! See you at the Barricades!

eyyyyy that's me!!! come watch me overanalyze adaptations and be a huge nerd about les amis & the barricades! and of course check out all the other awesome panels :D

Depictions of the Barricades in Adaptations of Les Miserables by Percy

Les Misérables has a long history of adaptation in just about every possible form, but while many adaptations faithfully reproduce the emotional themes of Jean Valjean’s character arc, fewer manage to give the barricades and their significance to Victor Hugo’s message the attention they deserve. This presentation looks at how portrayals of the June Rebellion and Les Amis de l’ABC differ across adaptations and how adapters make changes to the book’s material to further different political views, focusing on the development of Les Amis’ characters, the amount of historical context included around the rebellion’s motivations, and the visuals and revolutionary symbolism used to characterize the rebellion.

Make sure to get your tickets before the 12th July deadline!

Scholarships covering the complete cost of admission are still available - just email [email protected] to request one!

If you’re interested in volunteering as a discord or zoom moderator for the con, please fill out this form and join our planning discord.