# Luc-Esprit explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

This chapter introduces M. Gillenormand, an elderly man of the old school, who recalls his youthful adventures at the opera and his love for a young dancer named Nahenry. He is portrayed as a charming, eccentric figure who despises modern politics and newspapers, speaks with coarse elegance, and was once described as 'a charming fool' by Madame de Boufflers. His godfather gave him the names Luc-Esprit, predicting he would be a man of genius.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Human Condition and Fate

Gillenormand's reflections on his past and his disdain for the present highlight the passage of time and the inevitability of change, as well as the quirks of individual character shaped by fate.

## Character check-ins

### M. Gillenormand

The chapter focuses on M. Gillenormand's character, his memories of youth, his disdain for modern politics, and his coarse yet elegant manner of speaking.

## Key lines

> At the age of sixteen, one evening at the opera, he had had the honor to be stared at through opera-glasses by two beauties at the same time⁠—ripe and celebrated beauties then, and sung by Voltaire, the Camargo and the Sallé.

When he was sixteen, he was once noticed at the opera by two famous and beautiful women, Camargo and Sallé, who were later celebrated by Voltaire.

_This anecdote illustrates Gillenormand's vanity and his connection to the glamorous world of 18th-century Paris._

> He was horrified by all the names which he saw in politics and in power, regarding them as vulgar and bourgeois.

He was disgusted by the names of contemporary politicians, which he considered common and middle-class.

_This reveals Gillenormand's aristocratic prejudices and his alienation from the modern political landscape._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/iii-luc-esprit
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters