Less Miserables

November 29, 2012 By 4 Comments

 

 

Something of a pre-emptive movie commentary, this week’s Peterson column for the Deseret News on the musical of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables,  forthcoming in a film version:

 

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765616602/Les-Miserables-teaches-how-Gods-truth-is-lovable.html

 

Many years ago, in one of the most memorable sacrament meeting talks that I’ve ever heard, the speaker explained the title of the book and the musical:  They call them “less miserables,” you see, because, since they live in love for one another, they’re less miserable than those around them.

 

Not actually a bad reading of the story, in its way.

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized 4 Comments
  • James Bevan

    Dr. Peterson,
    I read your piece about Les Mis with great interest. President Kimball is alleged to have cited the novel of Les Miserables as a book “next to the scriptures.” Do you, by any chance, know where that may have come from? It makes “some” sense that he might have commented on the subject since the musical came out during his administration (I believe). But searches have gotten me nowhere in finding his original comments.

  • Louis Midgley

    Dan is, of course, right about Victor Hugo’s fine tale .

  • Allison in Atlanta

    Commenting here instead of Deseret News since there might be fewer atheists over here.

    Bravo, Brother Peterson! This was my FAVORITE book in high school English and I still own a big fat hardback copy along with Kindle and E-Pub formats for the fact that this book can strengthen your testimony of redemption and the Atonement.

    I don’t always know about the various versions in plays and movies, but the music is also still inspiring such as “I Dreamed A Dream” (now made even more famous by my new favorite Scottish female singer, but I digress.)

  • Pingback: “Crying at the Movies”