womprat:

one of the les mis quotes that breaks my heart the most is in enjolras’ barricade speech where he says “the nineteenth century is great, but the twentieth century will be happy”

it’s just so hopeful and naive and i think it was something victor hugo himself probably believed. That all the great dramatic events of the 19th century would be a thing of the past and that the 20th century might be a little less romantic, but there would be peace and people would be happy. But he was totally wrong and the 20th century was both world wars and france was occupied and took huge blows to it’s spirit as a nation probably more so than anything before in hugo’s time. It’s such a great line honestly, and it’s perhaps even more poignant because of it’s tragic irony from a modern perspective. Idk that part just breaks my heart to pieces every time.