The Wretched

Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.8

Word count: 518K words
Chapters: 52

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.De Ellendigen (Deel 3 van 5) by Victor HugoAuthor: Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885,Language: Dutch, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Oct 13, 2011

Editor's review

This is the third of five volumes of the Dutch translation of Hugo's Les Misérables, a public-domain ebook. As the middle volume of a long novel, it carries forward the characters and threads of fate from earlier volumes and continues to unfold the tension between the underclass, the law, and conscience. Hugo's narrative often shifts between long historical digressions and character action, and the Dutch translation preserves this weightiness. For Dutch readers or language learners, it is a direct route into a major nineteenth-century French literary work; for readers who only want the main story, the middle-volume digressions may feel tedious. It is best to confirm you have read the first two volumes before starting, or the character relationships and plot threads will be hard to follow.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Dutch readers who have read the first two volumes and want to continue Les Misérables
Language learners reading the Dutch translation alongside Hugo's original
Readers interested in nineteenth-century French literature and social issues

Not a good fit for

Readers who have not read the first two volumes and start directly from the middle
Readers unfamiliar with Dutch who expect a Chinese or English edition
Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and have no patience for long digressions

Reading tips

Confirm you have read volumes one and two before starting this one to avoid losing track of character relationships.
Skim historical digressions at first, then return to them after grasping the character-driven action.
Keep a simple character chart and update it as you read to ease the memory burden of the middle volume.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this volume without having read the first two?

Not advisable. This is the third of five volumes, and its characters and plot continue from earlier volumes; starting in the middle makes relationships and causes of events confusing. It is best to finish the first two volumes, or at least learn the main characters and storyline, before starting.

Is this edition in Dutch or Chinese?

The material shows the title De Ellendigen and the language Dutch; it is the third volume of the Dutch translation of Les Misérables. If you are not familiar with Dutch, reading will be very difficult, and a Chinese or English translation is recommended.

Can the long digressions be skipped?

You can handle them as you see fit. Hugo often inserts historical and social digressions into the narrative; these passages have intellectual value but do not affect understanding of the main story. On a first reading, focus on characters and plot, and return to the digressions later if the topics interest you.

Comments

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About the author

Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885 Author

Hugo, Victor (1802–1885) was a French author renowned for his novels and poetry. The collection holds 54 of his works, including volumes of Les Misérables (such as Jean Valjean and Fantine), Notre-Dame de Paris, and Quatrevingt-Treize. These works center on poverty, justice, revolution, and redemption, weaving the fate of individuals tightly into social reality. His narratives are grand and emotionally rich, combining romantic sweep with deep concern for the poor and marginalized. Classified under inspirational growth, his characters' struggles amid hardship still speak to readers today. Public information is limited; this note describes only the themes and style suggested by the works in the collection.