http://kcrabb88.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/so-les-miserables-is-it-worth-all-the-hype/
This, my dear readers, is my beloved sister's blog! She's a nerd, just like me - yes, the one I posted about a week ago. Over the years, she has gotten me into so much: Pirates of the Caribbean, Phantom of the Opera, RENT, and that's just a partial list. I'm still proud of myself for getting her into Kenshin, because we can both agree that Kenshin got her into writing. I'm also so very proud to say that, at least partially, writing fan fiction led to a BA and a Master's degree having to do with writing! Okay, though, I could seriously go on all day about how proud I am of my Katie!
On to the subject at hand! I remember that on the list, I promised to spotlight the ladies of musical theater, so with Katie having just posted about Les Miserables, that seemed like the thing to do. For ease of typing and your ease of reading, the picture/show will hereafter be referred to as "Les Mis." Also, a slight disclaimer: I'm nowhere near as "up" on Les Mis as Katie is, so I am going only on the interpretation of the movie version. I need to read the book and see the film version as soon as possible, and after that it is entirely likely that I will do a second draft of this post and posts to come. Since I have class at 3:30, I'm splitting this up lady by by lady.
Okay, with all that out of the way, here's my take on things. If you want the plot summary and all, go read Katie's blog. I'm not SparkNotes and I kind of stink at summarizing things - no, really, I'll try and tell the story word-for-word, bursting into songs from at least three other musicals. I'm just here to talk about the ladies in the film version. I'm sure we've all heard that if Anne Hathaway does not walk away with the little gold man for Best Supporting Actress, there will be a class-action suit against the Academy. Or something like that... That's just my personal opinion, largely because I happen to adore Anne Hathaway. However, the ladies of Les Mis are pretty widely varied, actually, and I like to see that.
Let's go with the lady we see first and the lady we were all dying to see: Fantine, as portrayed by Anne Hathaway. Now, I would have liked more context as to why the ladies in the factory had such total contempt for Fantine. Yes, I got it that they wanted her gone, and maybe I was missing some things (I am on the autism spectrum), but I would have liked more of the "why" there. Long story short, Fantine has refused to let the foreman of the factory sleep with her, and for some reason this gets under the other ladies' skin. When it comes to light that Fantine has a child, presumably out of wedlock, she is dismissed from the factory. The letter she received said that her child needed a doctor and there was no time to lose - we'll come to that later. So, in an effort to save her child, she first sells her hair, then at least one tooth (I turned my head), and then... herself.
Here's where I come to my first "grr!" moment. Okay, in a lot of these West End-based musicals, and much literature that is... well... pre-2000, this is what usually happens to prostitutes. No matter why she is a sex worker, she is automatically on the "naughty" list. And the literary "naughty" list is a lot more dangerous than Santa's. Girls on the "naughty" list die. There are probably a few exceptions, but I honestly cannot think of them right now. "Naughty" list girls/women include: Lucy from Jekyll and Hyde, Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd, and Mimi from RENT. Yes, I know that Mrs. Lovett wasn't a prostitute and Mimi came back. But that's another insidious part of the literary "naughty" list - if you don't fit into the extremely narrow definition of "nice," then you're naughty.
So, obviously, Fantine dies. I've asked Katie and she said that Fantine dies of consumption (what they called TB/tuberculosis in those days) but the film doesn't give you much context. Without that context, it can be easily assumed that she dies of an STD. Either way, her death can be perceived as punitive because she stepped out of line, even though she did so to save her child. There are many references in literature to punishing women because of sex. Desdemona in Othello was killed, not because she actually did anything, but because her husband was led to believe she did. Fantine and Desdemona both tell us something very important about women in literature: they do not belong to themselves, and a woman's sexuality is a bad thing that she must be punished for.
Did Anne Hathaway do the role of Fantine justice? Yes. Did she also show that, in much of literature, no matter what a woman does, she can never win? Yes. Nothing she does to save her child matters to society, because she already screwed up by having Cosette out of wedlock in the first place. Now, because of Hugo's religious overtones, it is clearly shown that she goes to heaven. He seems to have a vision of God and the church, Catholic in particular, that is fundamentally good and forgiving. So, while her actions are punished on Earth, with hatred from other women and abuse at the hands of numerous johns, and the fundamentally flawed human law, she has her reward with God. However, I still have a bone to pick with that. I'm not going to give my religious views here one way or the other, but I don't how Fantine's circumstances could be perceived: "What happened to her was okay because she did it for her child and then she went to Heaven." It excuses the systematic abuse of women who "step out of line."
Take a look at that word "systematic." From now on, when you're reading or watching a movie or seeing a show, take a closer look at how the women are treated. Not just the leading lady or precious angel or, basically, whoever the hero has to save. Yes, even look at the villains - female villains are often killed more brutally than male villains. So very much of literature justifies the treatment of women as property, as objects, and at best second-class citizens. Now, I'm not telling you you can't still like Sleeping Beauty or Othello, but I am telling you to take a closer look at your entertainment.
Marigold, about to get dressed for class, signing out!
This, my dear readers, is my beloved sister's blog! She's a nerd, just like me - yes, the one I posted about a week ago. Over the years, she has gotten me into so much: Pirates of the Caribbean, Phantom of the Opera, RENT, and that's just a partial list. I'm still proud of myself for getting her into Kenshin, because we can both agree that Kenshin got her into writing. I'm also so very proud to say that, at least partially, writing fan fiction led to a BA and a Master's degree having to do with writing! Okay, though, I could seriously go on all day about how proud I am of my Katie!
On to the subject at hand! I remember that on the list, I promised to spotlight the ladies of musical theater, so with Katie having just posted about Les Miserables, that seemed like the thing to do. For ease of typing and your ease of reading, the picture/show will hereafter be referred to as "Les Mis." Also, a slight disclaimer: I'm nowhere near as "up" on Les Mis as Katie is, so I am going only on the interpretation of the movie version. I need to read the book and see the film version as soon as possible, and after that it is entirely likely that I will do a second draft of this post and posts to come. Since I have class at 3:30, I'm splitting this up lady by by lady.
Okay, with all that out of the way, here's my take on things. If you want the plot summary and all, go read Katie's blog. I'm not SparkNotes and I kind of stink at summarizing things - no, really, I'll try and tell the story word-for-word, bursting into songs from at least three other musicals. I'm just here to talk about the ladies in the film version. I'm sure we've all heard that if Anne Hathaway does not walk away with the little gold man for Best Supporting Actress, there will be a class-action suit against the Academy. Or something like that... That's just my personal opinion, largely because I happen to adore Anne Hathaway. However, the ladies of Les Mis are pretty widely varied, actually, and I like to see that.
Let's go with the lady we see first and the lady we were all dying to see: Fantine, as portrayed by Anne Hathaway. Now, I would have liked more context as to why the ladies in the factory had such total contempt for Fantine. Yes, I got it that they wanted her gone, and maybe I was missing some things (I am on the autism spectrum), but I would have liked more of the "why" there. Long story short, Fantine has refused to let the foreman of the factory sleep with her, and for some reason this gets under the other ladies' skin. When it comes to light that Fantine has a child, presumably out of wedlock, she is dismissed from the factory. The letter she received said that her child needed a doctor and there was no time to lose - we'll come to that later. So, in an effort to save her child, she first sells her hair, then at least one tooth (I turned my head), and then... herself.
Here's where I come to my first "grr!" moment. Okay, in a lot of these West End-based musicals, and much literature that is... well... pre-2000, this is what usually happens to prostitutes. No matter why she is a sex worker, she is automatically on the "naughty" list. And the literary "naughty" list is a lot more dangerous than Santa's. Girls on the "naughty" list die. There are probably a few exceptions, but I honestly cannot think of them right now. "Naughty" list girls/women include: Lucy from Jekyll and Hyde, Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd, and Mimi from RENT. Yes, I know that Mrs. Lovett wasn't a prostitute and Mimi came back. But that's another insidious part of the literary "naughty" list - if you don't fit into the extremely narrow definition of "nice," then you're naughty.
So, obviously, Fantine dies. I've asked Katie and she said that Fantine dies of consumption (what they called TB/tuberculosis in those days) but the film doesn't give you much context. Without that context, it can be easily assumed that she dies of an STD. Either way, her death can be perceived as punitive because she stepped out of line, even though she did so to save her child. There are many references in literature to punishing women because of sex. Desdemona in Othello was killed, not because she actually did anything, but because her husband was led to believe she did. Fantine and Desdemona both tell us something very important about women in literature: they do not belong to themselves, and a woman's sexuality is a bad thing that she must be punished for.
Did Anne Hathaway do the role of Fantine justice? Yes. Did she also show that, in much of literature, no matter what a woman does, she can never win? Yes. Nothing she does to save her child matters to society, because she already screwed up by having Cosette out of wedlock in the first place. Now, because of Hugo's religious overtones, it is clearly shown that she goes to heaven. He seems to have a vision of God and the church, Catholic in particular, that is fundamentally good and forgiving. So, while her actions are punished on Earth, with hatred from other women and abuse at the hands of numerous johns, and the fundamentally flawed human law, she has her reward with God. However, I still have a bone to pick with that. I'm not going to give my religious views here one way or the other, but I don't how Fantine's circumstances could be perceived: "What happened to her was okay because she did it for her child and then she went to Heaven." It excuses the systematic abuse of women who "step out of line."
Take a look at that word "systematic." From now on, when you're reading or watching a movie or seeing a show, take a closer look at how the women are treated. Not just the leading lady or precious angel or, basically, whoever the hero has to save. Yes, even look at the villains - female villains are often killed more brutally than male villains. So very much of literature justifies the treatment of women as property, as objects, and at best second-class citizens. Now, I'm not telling you you can't still like Sleeping Beauty or Othello, but I am telling you to take a closer look at your entertainment.
Marigold, about to get dressed for class, signing out!
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