Les Miserables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. The unabridged Hapgood Translation is widely regarded as a classic translation of this novel. This edition is fully illustrated with classic Les Miserables illustrations by different illustrators. Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, focusing on...
The Idiot is a novel written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published serially in The Russian Messenger between 1868 and 1869. In The Idiot Dostoevsky hoped to portray the ideal of a man who wishes to sacrifice himself for others. Prince Myshkin is a sort of Russian Christ who represents the values Dostoevsky deemed the highest and most noble: altruism, meekness, kindness, and brotherly love. As Dostoevsky saw sexual passion as inherently selfish, it is not surprising that Prince Myshkin is...