History
Timeline
Presented as a chart with character birthdates and important events of the novel, side-by-side with relevant points of history. From the Pocket Classiques edition of the book. [French] [English]
Units of measure
Currencies and measures of size in early 19th century France and their modern equivalents. [French | English | Side-by-side]
Lettre de M. Francis de Miollis
Monseigneur de Miollis was an actual bishop of Digne who was the inspiration for Mgr Myriel; his nephew, Francis de Miollis, was shocked and insulted because this thinly-veiled depiction of his uncle wasn't saintly enough. Must be read to be believed. [French | English | Side-by-side]
Excerpt of a letter by George Sand
Proto-feminist author and Romantic-Era wild woman George Sand was living in Paris, directly across the river from the morgue, in June 1832. [French | English | Side-by-side]
Des Morts
An early poem by Verlaine about the insurgents of June 1832. [French]
The Amis du Peuple and France's Judicial System
From Jill Harsin's Barricades, detailing the legal persecution of the Amis and several noteworthy trials. [English]
5 and 6 June, 1832
From Harsin, a nice overview of the émeutes of 1832 and their aftermath. [English]
Les Révolutions du XIXe siècle
Hugo based the Société des Amis de l'ABC on a real republican group that existed at roughly the same period, the Société des Amis du Peuple, or Friends of the People. Reproduced below are several articles and pamphlets published by the Society, trial records, and miscellaneous bits and pieces relating to the insurrection of 1832, from a collection of primary sources entitled Les Révolutions du XIXe siècle.
- A l'opinion publique: Article in defense of the émeutes of June 1831. [French | English | Side-by-side]
- Lettre d'un étudiant: An anonymous letter from a student in defense of Robespierre, Saint-Just, and the Terror, and in condemnation of the aristocracy. [French | English | Side-by-side]
- Manifeste de la Société des Amis du Peuple: As the title says, the manifesto of the Society. Contains a detailed explanation of the events of the 1830 revolution and the Amis' communication with the newly-formed government. [French]
- La Pologne est morte; à notre tour!: Article in an October 1831 pamphlet, decrying the suppression of the revolution in Poland. [French]
- Défense du citoyen Louis-Auguste Blanqui: Republican speech delivered in the guise of a defense, during a mass trial for sedition in early 1832. [French]
- Acte d'accusation et mise en jugement: The government's notice of the arrests of several insurgents from the June 1832 insurrection--yes, the one in the book--especially from the barricade at Saint-Merry. [French]