Is Les Miserables an accurate representation of what happened after the french revolution?

Answer 1

First of all, we should clarify that Les Miserables is set in the French Revolution of 1823, not the far more famous French Revolution of 1789. By 1823, Louis XVI had long been executed, the Reign of Terror had long ended, the Napoleonic Wars had ended, and the Bourbon monarchy had been restored.

However, while the story of Les Miserables is not true, e.g. there was no thief name Jean Valjean who adopts a girl named Collette and is pursued by a police officer named Javert, the general ambiance of the story is mostly accurate. France at that time had rampant poverty, high levels of homelessness, abusive factory conditions, repressive government, and the air of revolution. The view that Victor Hugo (the author) brings to those conditions is nostalgia and pity, but it is not anachronistic or mythified.

As for actual historic sources, Hugo based Valjean's character very loosely on the life of Eugene Francois Vidocq, an ex-convict who became a successful businessman widely noted for his social engagement and philanthropy. He also references the French Revolution of 1823, which is portrayed relatively accurately, but does not show completely and utterly it was crushed.