Comments on Profile Post by LARiA

Bonjour and bonsoir to you, mademoiselle!
Unfortunately not yet; especially with that cursed Past Historic tense. How has life been treating you?
(I also apologize for my subsequent replies being erratic in their timing as I am up ridiculously late to finish a few things, you see)

That's alright. I am doing fairy well, despite the fact that I have been pretty much estranged from society (an inevitable scenario when you live in a country wherein you don't speak the local tongue).

Have you watched 'The Rose of Versailles'? Consider this an anime recommendation, maybe. It is a fictitious retelling of the French Revolution, complete with a swashbuckling bifauxnen lead and lesbian undertones. Shoujo. Leave it to Japan to spice up historical accounts. As dissimilar as that sounds, it is actually surprisingly faithful to history. If you watched this show, you would probably ace an exam on the source material.

Meanwhile, I still have to read Les Mis.

Oh dear oh dear, I am not familiar with where you may be at the moment? I recall others telling me you were in Europe somewhere but I am afraid they never specified where exactly, though I have my suspicions.

I have heard of it, yes! It certainly looks interesting I must say, though it may just be the faux-French that makes me take it in with a sniff of Gankutsuoh for whatever reason. When I am finished with all of this work the world has put upon my shoulders this summer week I am most likely going to go on another anime binge and get through all of these things. Thank you for the recommendation!

Aaaah, you must. It is beautiful, almost the closest thing France has to its own modern post-revolutionary epic minus the direct poetry; all of the poetry lies behind the text, in the beauty of the world and themes and other good bits that make it such a compelling read. I am sure you could find a copy somewhere, perhaps.

I am in Macedonia. Predictably. Whom did you hear that from?

Yes, I understand the mild sense of trepidation. My standpoint is to take any historical works of fiction with a grain of salt, and treat them as such. The series is regarded rather highly in France, if it's of any reassurance. It has been translated into Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, et cetera...

Do you have a particular translation in mind? A talented translator makes a world of a difference when reading foreign works.

A number of little birds flying around my little home!

I do not, unfortunately ... my only experience is with a Penguin translation so I am unaware of the quality of this particular one, but it certainly appears to be popular and well-received. Though there are a number of various endnotes to help explain things that do not translate well such as the usage of argot, but alas.

And I apologize for the late reply; this week was busy, what with Fan Expo and all.

That's alright.

I have begun reading the Wilbour translation. A direct french to anglais translation; oldest translation available. I must say, it does not disappoint in the lengthiness category. Nine chapters in, and still discussing Monsieur Myriel's religious beliefs, charitable disposition, dietary habits and other such lifestyle patterns. No bread's been stolen yet.

I don't appreciate how Hugo villainises atheism (the senator from chapter VIII), but I suppose it's rather inevitable given the time period.