Relating Hugo to the present era
While there's no doubt present day students have difficulties getting into the dusty volumes and tomes of other generations, other centuries...there isn't much new about revolution. If some of the Marxists, Leninists or even those involved in the elections of today were more aware of the exigencies, constants and reactionary probabilities, they might have more perspective and therefore more awareness of the population and more skillfull in projecting their ideologies. On a less pragmatic level...this inaccessability factor is not that great. Unfortunately, most of the contemporary experience has been going out for a night of unreality to see "Les Miserables" in an absurd musical format.