Nineteenth Century Life Story Briefs

What made the 19th century an interesting but tumultuous time? What technological, cultural and social changes influenced life then? Explore those issues in this story collection.

Les Miserables is a massive novel, by Victor Hugo, perennially considered one of the world's best books.

This is episode two of Les Miserables.

Jean Valjean is the central character of Victor Hugo's ever-popular Les Miserables, but we don't really "meet him" until "Book Second" of Volume I.

Jean Valjean was imprisoned nineteen years - at hard labor - for breaking into a bakery, stealing a loaf of bread, then trying to escape from his life...

After the Bishop of Digne shows kindness to Jean Valjean, providing him with food and allowing him to spend the night without pay, Valjean steals the ...

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Fifth ("The Descent") - Chapter VI (entitled "Father Fauchelevent").

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Fifth ("The Descent") - Chapter VII (entitled "Fauchelevent Becomes a Garden...

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Fifth ("The Descent") - Chapter XIII (entitled "The Solution of some Questio...

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Sixth ("Javert") - Chapter I (entitled "The Beginning of Repose").

In this audio clip, Carole Bos reads from Les Miserables, Volume I - Book Sixth ("Javert") - Chapter II (entitled "How Jean May Become Champ").

Lewis Payne is arrested on April 17, 1865, three days after President Lincoln was shot. His fate is now sealed, after his attempted assassination of t...

After attacking Secretary of State William Seward - on the night of April 14, 1865 - Lewis Powell (also known as Lewis Paine/Payne) hid in a wooded ar...

Show tooltips