Dec 15, 2020
Guys I have started listening to this podcast and ep. 4 has really cool comments about the proximity of a printshop to the cathedral in Digne: a reflection on the possible allusion to Hugo’s theory in Notre Dame de Paris that the paper book will “kill” the stone “book” of the cathedral because it’s better at disseminating information. It speculates that Hugo may be wondering, from his exile, whether that dissemination has actually done any good. It’s a counterpoint to the championing of education all over les mis, and I find those really interesting, looking at it from a century when we’ve come a lot closer to universal education but…not much closer at all to universal happiness and justice.