Quote:
Originally Posted by Irenicus
^Which translation were you reading Hugo on, Tempester? There are many translations over the years, and some date from more than a century before. Those are naturally difficult to just about everybody.
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No idea. I attempted to read it a couple years or so ago, and the book is not with me at the moment. I doubt that a better translation would make it magically more comprehensible to me, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irenicus
Even then, do note that Monsieur Hugo is infamous for being one of the most extravagantly verbose major authors ever. His Les Miserables is an exercise in indulgence, forgiven and loved only because of the scale of his vision and the occasional moments of extraordinary sentiment in the language. I do not think Notre Dame is as bad, nor, for that matter, as extraordinary, but the original French might still be a major part of why you found him difficult.
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Which is why, even though I believe that original material is generally better than adaptations, I still plan to watch the
Les Miserables anime before reading the book, because I'm simply not mentally ready to read the book. I do believe that reading Hugo as a beginner to literature was a bad idea in retrospect. I'm attempting some easier fiction instead, with better results. The great classics can wait for now.
