My son’s eleven, and I read him Hugo’s “Ninety-three”. I had known it was too difficult for him, perhaps boring, too. It did bore him at times. (But “hey, there will be a civil war, invaders, fire, a court martial, kids in danger and a beheading” worked just fine.)
I omitted some passages, too, like the description of the Convent’s building or whatever it was. OTOH, I deliberately read to him the description of Paris itself. Not because he could understand it, with all those strangers and situations mentioned only once. Because it was exactly incomprehensible, and yet conveyed some image; because I wanted to show him a myth, without having to label it so. (I want to read to him “Coriolanus” for a myth that appears to me strongly related.)
Also, Hugo says things like “an error of minds in which logic occupies the place of reason” in a glaringly obvious, offhanded way. It’s awesome. (And I had forgotten it was there.) My son actually noticed it and tried to get me to tell him what it actually means. I guess the book did illustrate this particular sazen. Hugo is great at this.
My son’s eleven, and I read him Hugo’s “Ninety-three”. I had known it was too difficult for him, perhaps boring, too. It did bore him at times. (But “hey, there will be a civil war, invaders, fire, a court martial, kids in danger and a beheading” worked just fine.)
I omitted some passages, too, like the description of the Convent’s building or whatever it was. OTOH, I deliberately read to him the description of Paris itself. Not because he could understand it, with all those strangers and situations mentioned only once. Because it was exactly incomprehensible, and yet conveyed some image; because I wanted to show him a myth, without having to label it so. (I want to read to him “Coriolanus” for a myth that appears to me strongly related.)
Also, Hugo says things like “an error of minds in which logic occupies the place of reason” in a glaringly obvious, offhanded way. It’s awesome. (And I had forgotten it was there.) My son actually noticed it and tried to get me to tell him what it actually means. I guess the book did illustrate this particular sazen. Hugo is great at this.