Les Misérables · Chapter
The Little Convent explained
This chapter describes the Little Convent within the Petit-Picpus enclosure, a refuge for aged nuns of various orders displaced by the Revolution.
What happens
This chapter describes the Little Convent within the Petit-Picpus enclosure, a refuge for aged nuns of various orders displaced by the Revolution. It details the diverse community, including notable residents like Madame de Genlis, and explains the architectural layout that separates the convent from the outside world during worship.
Themes in this chapter
The Human Condition and Fate
The chapter reflects on the fate of aged nuns displaced by historical upheaval, finding a mixed community under one roof, highlighting the resilience and diversity of human experience.
Characters to notice
- Madame Albertine
An old society woman who retired into the Little Convent with permission from the prioress.
Key passages
“In this enclosure of the Petit-Picpus there were three perfectly distinct buildings—the Great Convent, inhabited by the nuns, the Boarding-school, where the scholars were lodged; and lastly, what was called the Little Convent.”
The Petit-Picpus enclosure contained three separate buildings: the Great Convent for nuns, the Boarding-school for students, and the Little Convent.
Describes the physical layout of the convent complex.
“It was a building with a garden, in which lived all sorts of aged nuns of various orders, the relics of cloisters destroyed in the Revolution; a reunion of all the black, gray, and white medleys of all communities and all possible varieties; what might be called, if such a coupling of words is permissible, a sort of harlequin convent.”
The Little Convent housed elderly nuns from different orders, survivors of convents destroyed during the Revolution, creating a colorful mix of habits and traditions.
Illustrates the diverse and eclectic community of the Little Convent.