Les Misérables · Chapter
Endnotes explained
This chapter consists entirely of endnotes providing translations, explanations, and references for terms and allusions used throughout the novel, covering slang, historical events, literary references, and wordplay.
What happens
This chapter consists entirely of endnotes providing translations, explanations, and references for terms and allusions used throughout the novel, covering slang, historical events, literary references, and wordplay.
Key passages
“A battle terminated, a day finished, false measures repaired, greater successes assured for the morrow—all was lost by a moment of panic, terror.”
Napoleon reflected that a single moment of fear could undo all the gains of a battle, even when victory seemed certain.
From Napoleon's Dictées de Sainte-Hélène, illustrating the fragility of military success.
“Do you remember our sweet life, when we were both so young, and when we had no other desire in our hearts than to be well dressed and in love?”
A nostalgic recollection of youthful love and simplicity, when material concerns were secondary to affection.
Poetic reminiscence of a past romance, likely referencing the character of Fantine or a similar figure.
“He sleeps. Although his fate was very strange, he lived. He died when he had no longer his angel. The thing came to pass simply, of itself, as the night comes when day is gone.”
A peaceful death described as a natural end, occurring when the person's guiding spirit had departed.
Likely an epitaph or reflection on a character's death, emphasizing acceptance and the inevitability of loss.