Part II, Book 1, Chapter 4
A
We’re on Chapter 4 of Waterloo and haven’t even gotten to the actual main battle yet, and this is how I feel right now:
These chapters are a SLOG. I was very on board with all the bishop backstory of Part I, Book 1 because Bishop Myriel is a treasure, but the Battle of Waterloo? At this point if Javert showed up, I would be thrilled, and I hate Javert.
In this chapter Hugo decides that we must know exactly how the battle lines for Waterloo were drawn out. We don’t, but I’m 74 chapters into this damn book and I’m not quitting now.
Our intrepid author describes a diagram of the letter A and explains how the legs, feet, bar, and points of the letter A are different roads, generals, etc. in the lead-up to Waterloo. Thanks, now I hate the letter A.
He also talks about how studying and knowing the terrain is critical to fighting this and really any battle. Yeah yeah, I’ve read The Art of War, I know all this.
Wellington, we’re told, had previously studied the terrain (over a year ago!), and right before the battle occupied the higher ground. First of all, we know from Obi-Wan Kenobi that having the high ground is everything.
Second of all, this is incredibly validating for those of us prone to overpreparing for things.
The chapter ends with a description of Napoleon as a figure of light in his heyday who history has revealed to contain just as much darkness; “Tyranny follows the tyrant,” Hugo says. It’s a relevant warning about how the most vaunted figures, the ones who wrap themselves in self-mythology and are celebrated by followers who worship them as gods, are often just shitty humans who history will not look upon as kindly. One can only hope this will always be the case.
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