ABSTRACT
Punctuated and illuminated by rays of light and hope, Les Misérables is an undeniably optimistic novel, one that clearly articulates Enlightenment ideals of perfectibility and progress, and revolutionary ones of political change. The forces for good and light can be seen in multiple ways-in the redemption of Jean Valjean, the political propositions of the amis de l’ABC, the rescue of Cosette, and, more generally, through the denunciation of injustices throughout the text. These political and social dimensions, in conjunction with multiple literary effectssuch as Valjean’s escapes, the battle scenes, family dramas, the depiction of the underworld, or Marius and Cosette’s love story-have contributed immensely to the work’s unfailing popular success.
