The Les Misérables Reading Companion

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The Podcast about Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. In each episode, I will comment on a section of the book, to make it a bit less daunting, and hopefully help you enjoy it a bit more. I am a professor, but this podcast is created with a non-academic, non-ex

Briana Lewis


    • Aug 19, 2019 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 35m AVG DURATION
    • 65 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Les Misérables Reading Companion

    Special Episode 03 - Even More Film Commentary!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2019 55:46


    We finish up the 2012 movie musical -- with watch-along commentary!!

    Special Episode 02 - More Film Commentary!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2019 39:19


    We tackle the middle section of the 2012 movie musical. Watch along!

    Ep60 - So what is Les Misérables about?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2019 36:09


    We end this series by stepping back and thinking about this journey as a whole.

    Ep59 - V,9,v-vi - Endings

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2019 39:09


    Even the darkest night will end.....

    Ep58 - V,9,iv - Change and Changers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2019 31:30


    The more some people change, the more they stay the same. 

    Ep57 - V,8,i - V,9,iii - Decline

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2019 40:18


    In which I offer explanation, but not comfort, at this sad turn of events.

    Ep56 - V,7 - Ash Wednesday

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2019 33:55


    A day of confession and penance, deserved or not.

    Programming Note, June 18, 2019

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2019 2:30


    More delays, more excuses. But I hope it will be worth it. 

    Ep55 - V,6 - Grief, Joy, and Masks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2019 34:31


    Celebration, anguish, and how this all comes together at Mardi Gras.

    Ep54 - V,5 - Who are these people?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2019 34:23


    Our characters are suddenly unrecognizable -- or are they?

    Ep53 - V,4 - Derailed

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2019 39:34


    Javert joins the last group in the world that he wanted to join.

    Ep52 - V,3,viii-xii - Memory Lane

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2019 32:46


    In which we get some surprising déjà vu....

    Ep51 - V,3,i-vii - The Soul in Muck

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2019 34:16


    Jean Valjean wrestles with what he finds beneath the streets.

    Programming Note, April 30, 2019

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2019 1:48


    In which I explain what the holdup is, and what you can do while you're waiting for me to get my act together.

    Ep50 - V,2 - Human Waste

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2019 36:44


    A whole new view of what's below Paris's streets. It's not pretty, but that's what's great about it.

    Ep49 - V,1,xviii-xxiv - Apocalypse, and How to Escape It

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2019 39:55


    Friendship, rescue, and contemplating defeat, as the uprising comes to an end.

    Ep48 - V,1,vi-xvii - Enclosed

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2019 38:00


    The perils of being trapped inside, and of getting out.

    Ep47 - V,1,i-v - Beyond the Barricade

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2019 37:10


    In which we're surprised to learn who might be on the other side of the barricade.

    Ep46 - IV,14,vi - IV,15,iv - Jealousy and Sacrifice

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2019 36:41


    Jean Valjean can still surprise us.... or can he?

    Ep45 - IV,13,i - IV,14,v - The Will to Die

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2019 32:19


    What do our characters gain when they have nothing left to lose?

    Ep44 - IV,12,i-viii - What Barricades are Made Of

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2019 32:45


    We continue to explore what goes into a barricade.

    Ep43 - IV,11,i-vi - How to Become a Revolutionary

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2019 31:06


    Gavroche and Mabeuf join the cause.

    Ep42 - IV,10,i-v - Paris Rising Up

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2018 35:23


    All you'll need to know about the 1832 Paris Uprising.

    Ep41 - IV,8,vi - IV,9,iii - Harsh Realities

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2018 31:51


    Bliss meets reality.

    Ep40 - IV,8,i-v - The Dangers Girls Face

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2018 32:49


    The perils and power of being a girl.

    Ep39 - IV,7,i-iv - Argot

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2018 34:42


    When you visit a place, it's only polite to try to learn a bit of the language....

    Ep38 - IV,6,i-iii - Gavroche, Child of...?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2018 33:40


    Gavroche teaches us a thing or two about fatherhood.

    Ep37 - IV,4,i - IV,5,vi - Connection

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2018 34:18


    Our characters reach across the barriers that separate them.

    Ep36 - IV,3,vi-viii - Love and War

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2018 34:00


    All is not fair.

    Ep35 - IV,3,i-v - Roses and Gardens

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2018 35:02


    Places where we do, and don't, want to see roses.

    Ep34 - IV,2,i-iv - Demons and Goblins

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2018 33:34


    What can we make of the fallout from the ambush?

    Ep33 - IV,1,i-vi - Threshold

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2018 33:27


    An overview of the July Revolution, and some other bit-picture stuff.

    Ep32 - III,8,xvi-xxii - Dilemmas

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2018 33:08


    Tricky moral questions abound.

    Ep31 - III,8,v-xv - Judas

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2018 33:53


    Love, theatrics, and betrayal in the Gorbeau house.

    Ep30 - III,7,i - III,8,iv - Miners' Tools

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2018 40:12


    We explore miners and their tools, and how they fit into Les Misérables.

    Ep29 - III,6,i-ix - Love Story?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2018 34:22


    So... what's a teen crush doing in here?

    Ep28 - III,5,i-vi - Parallel Lives

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2018 39:00


    The descent into poverty is a familiar one.

    Ep27 - III,4,i-vi - Landscapes and Horizons

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2018 36:41


    Marius's horizons expand, and we try to get a sense of the new world he has entered.

    Ep26 - III,3,iv-viii - His Father's Son

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2018 36:32


    Marius begins to understand who he is.

    Ep25 - III,2,i - III,3,iii - Generations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2018 36:34


    Another child atrophies in another kind of darkness.

    Ep24 - III,1,i-xiii - Child of Paris, Child of Misère

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2018 39:08


    We meet fan-favorite Gavroche and the gamin de Paris, the character type that he doesn't quite exemplify.

    Ep23 - II,8,v-ix - Death and Other Happy Endings

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2018 37:22


    Les Misérables moonlights as a sort of macabre sitcom.

    Special Episode 01 - Film Commentary!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2018 68:17


    I try my hand at live commentary on the 2012 movie-musical adaptation of Les Misérables.

    Ep22 - II,8,i-iv - Strange Echoes

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2018 38:42


    A few things are familiar in this strange new place.

    Ep21 - II,7,i-viii - Life in Parentheses

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2018 32:21


    We decipher Hugo's complex position on Jean Valjean's latest hideout.

    Ep20 - II,6,i-xi - Cloistered

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2018 36:15


    We discuss Hugo's take on life inside his fictional convent.

    Ep19 - II,4,v - II,5,x - Mysteries

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2018 34:46


    Will our hero escape the clutches of the police? And what kind of strange place will his safe haven turn out to be? 

    Ep18 - II,3,ix - II,4,iv - The Two Forçats

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2018 35:55


    Two kindred souls finally find each other.

    Ep17 - II,3,iv-viii - People You Might Meet in the Woods

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2018 34:43


    We look more deeply into another of the novel's most famous scenes.

    Ep16 - II,2,i - II,3,iii - Fate, Hope, and Spiders

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2018 35:06


    Caught in the web of fate, what reason is there for hope?

    Ep15 - II,1,i-xix - Waterloo

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2018 39:10


    We think about just what, exactly, this long digression about Waterloo is doing in this book.

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