# I: History of Corinthe from Its Foundation explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

This chapter provides a detailed historical and physical description of the Corinthe wine-shop, its location in the labyrinthine streets near the Halles of Paris, its evolution from the Pot-aux-Roses, and its role as a meeting place for Courfeyrac and his friends. It recounts the proprietors, including Father Hucheloup and his widow, and the unique atmosphere of the establishment, which became a gathering spot for the young revolutionaries.

## Themes in this chapter

### Revolution and Social Upheaval

Corinthe serves as the meeting-place for Courfeyrac and his friends, foreshadowing its role in the upcoming barricade and revolutionary events.

### The Human Condition and Fate

The chapter reflects on the transience of places and people, as the once-bustling Corinthe and its labyrinthine streets have since disappeared under modern development.

## Character check-ins

### Courfeyrac

Courfeyrac and his friends frequented Corinthe; he wrote the chalk inscription on the door.

### Grantaire

Grantaire discovered Corinthe, drawn by the 'Carpe horas' sign and the stuffed carp.

### Bossuet

Bossuet remarked that Courfeyrac and his friends continued to go to Corinthe out of pity after Father Hucheloup's death.

### Father Hucheloup

The last proprietor of the Corinthe dynasty, a former fencing-master and cook known for his stuffed carp and grumpy demeanor.

### Matelote

One of the two serving-maids at Corinthe, large, plump, red-haired, and noisy.

### Gibelotte

The other serving-maid, tall, delicate, pale, and languid, who waited on everyone with a sleepy smile.

## Key lines

> The Parisians who nowadays on entering on the Rue Rambuteau at the end near the Halles, notice on their right, opposite the Rue Mondétour, a basket-maker’s shop having for its sign a basket in the form of Napoleon the Great with this inscription:⁠— Napoleon Is Made Wholly Of Willow, have no suspicion of the terrible scenes which this very spot witnessed hardly thirty years ago.

Modern Parisians walking along Rue Rambuteau near the Halles see a basket-maker's shop with a sign shaped like Napoleon made of willow, unaware that this same location was the site of violent events just thirty years earlier.

_Introduces the historical significance of the location, contrasting its present mundane appearance with its revolutionary past._

> Hucheloup had invented a capital thing which could be eaten nowhere but in his house, stuffed carps, which he called carpes au gras.

Father Hucheloup created a unique dish of stuffed carp, known as 'carpes au gras', that could only be found at his establishment.

_Highlights the specialty that drew customers to Corinthe._

> Nothing of all this is in existence now. The Mondétour labyrinth was disembowelled and widely opened in 1847, and probably no longer exists at the present moment.

None of these places remain today; the maze of streets around Mondétour was demolished and widened in 1847, and has likely vanished entirely.

_Emphasizes the complete disappearance of the historical setting described in the chapter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/i-history-of-corinthe-from-its-foundation
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
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