Les Misérables · Chapter
A Recrudescence of Divine Right explained
This chapter reflects on the aftermath of Waterloo and the Restoration of the monarchy under Louis XVIII, describing the political and ideological shift as the old regime reasserts itself.
What happens
This chapter reflects on the aftermath of Waterloo and the Restoration of the monarchy under Louis XVIII, describing the political and ideological shift as the old regime reasserts itself. It contrasts the fallen Napoleon, who becomes a symbol of liberty and revolution, with the restored kings who rule uneasily. The chapter meditates on the transient nature of power and the enduring presence of revolutionary ideals among the young.
Themes in this chapter
Revolution and Social Upheaval
The chapter contrasts the revolutionary legacy of Napoleon with the reactionary Restoration, highlighting the tension between progress and the old order.
The Human Condition and Fate
Reflects on the insignificance of human events—battles, empires, and restorations—in the face of the infinite, suggesting a fatalistic view of history.
Key passages
“Defeat had rendered the vanquished greater. Bonaparte fallen seemed more lofty than Napoleon erect.”
Napoleon's defeat made him more heroic in the eyes of many; his downfall elevated his stature above his time of power.
Illustrates the paradoxical rise of Napoleon's legend after his fall.
“This 1815 was a sort of lugubrious April. Ancient unhealthy and poisonous realities were covered with new appearances.”
The year 1815 was a gloomy springtime, where old corrupt ideas were disguised under new, seemingly progressive forms.
Critiques the superficiality of the Restoration's reforms.
“The future, which the Emperor had rallied, made its entry. On its brow it bore the star, Liberty.”
The future that Napoleon had summoned arrived, and it was marked by the ideal of liberty.
Suggests that Napoleon inadvertently advanced the cause of freedom despite his authoritarian rule.