(J.L.) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo; Historical Fiction; 1,285 Pages

By J.o.s.e.p.h

  • Pages 850-904

    In these pages, the Inkeeper-turned criminal Thenadier escaped from prison with some of his lackeys and the help of his son, Gavroche. The author then took this opportunity to guve a dissertation on his thoughts on slang. Following this interlude, Marius, a young lawyer, visited his lover, Cosette, who informed him she and her father would be leaving for England soon. Distraught, Marius told Cosette to give him two days and hurried away with an undisclosed plan. 54 pages, total 54.

  • Pages 904 - 922

    Marius revealed his plan by asking his grandfather, his closest surviving relative, for permission to marry Cosette. However, his Grandfather refuses, and Marius leaves, dejected. The scene then shifts to the garden of an old man, Father Mabeuf, who has already suffered much, forced to sell his precious books to get by. At the end of the pages, he hears a commotion, and inquires as t o the source - he is informed it is 'the riots.' 18 pages, total 72.

  • Pages 922-946

    The riots began in Paris with the death of a prominent and kind general, Lamarque. At his funeral, the fighting breaks out between the assembled students and tradesmen and the national guard. This uprising, unlike many others in Paris's past, as Hugo points out, strikes fear into the hearts of all in the city. 24 pages, total 96.

  • Pages 946-1005

    The rioting continues, with several of Marius's friends constructing a barricade outside a wine shop. The rebels at the barricade withstand an assault from the National Guard, during which Marius arrives and saves the effort. He, during the attack, is saved from death by Eponine, the daughter of the inkeeper Thenadier. She is wounded, however, and, after admitting her love for Marius, dies in his arms. 59 pages, total of 155.

  • Pages 1005-1100

    The barricade braces itself for the coming battle, and it is not disapointed. Jean Valjean arrives, though offers little besides a uniform to help a man with a familly sneak past the French army. In return, he is given Javert, the rebel's captive, to do with what he wants. He releases him. Manwhile, the rebels are shelled by cannons, and are running low on ammunition. Gavroche leaves the safety of the paving-stone walls to collect more from the fallen soldiers on the other side, but is killed.

  • Pages 1005-1100, continued

    At last, the full assault by the army comes. The barricade is scaled, but with much difficulty, and many of the leaders of the revolution are killed. Marius, however, is wounded and left for dead outside as the troops storm the inn that is to be the last bastion of the rebellion. There, Enjolras, the orchestrator of the barricade and his last few compatriots are killed. 95 Pages, total of 250.

  • Pages 1100 - 1164

    Jean Valjean carries the wounded Marius from the barricade, sneaking off into the sewers to avoid the army. Once there, he must avoid a police patrol and escape quicksand to bring his daughter's wounded fiancee home. On his way out, he encounters Thenadier, who unlocks the sewer grate in exchange for the contents of Marius's pockets, thinking Valjean a fellow criminal. 64 pages, total 314.

  • Pages 1164-1235, cont.

    Upon Marius's return to health, he marries Cosette. After the wedding, Valjean confesses his crimes to Marius, and orders him not to tell Cosette and break her heart. 71 pages, total 385.

  • Pages 1164-1235

    Upon his exiting the sewer, Valjean is arrested by Javert. However, he convinces the police spy to help him take Marius home. Javert lets Valjean go, and is torn between his debt to the ex-convict for letting him live at the barricade and his debt to the law to arrest Valjean for breaking parole. Unable to reconcile these two allegiences, Javert throws himself into the river.

  • Pages 1235-1285

    Valjean eventually stops visiting Cosette, and resigns himself to his home, where he begins to feel very ill. Unable to leave, he regrets that he will never see Cosette again. Meanwhile, Thenadier arrives at Marius's house and tells him the full truth about Valjean, including that his fortune is legitimate and that he did not kill Javert. With this revelation, Cosette and Marius rush to Valjean's bedside. He greets them with joy and asks Cosette to read his last confession to her.

  • 1235-1285, cont.

    With his beloved daughter and her husband present, Valjean dies, with the candlesticks the bishop gave him many years ago burning. He is buried in a grave with no name on the stone, in a quiet corner of a cemetary. 50 pages, 435 total. Book complete.