Les Misérables Volume IV Book 1 Chapter 1

In which the weary nation, after seasons of upheaval and empire, seeks peace and repose, whilst the Restoration clings to vanished glories and misreads the shifting roots of sovereignty and rights. In this delicate and reflective moment, the tension between the enduring claims of right and the harsh realities of fact reveals a profound epoch of transition and the subtle triumph of liberty’s gentle light.