Les Misérables, Book 2: The Great Bourgeois, Chapter 7 summary
Book 2: The Great Bourgeois, Chapter 7 of 365 · 1 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 7, M. Luc-Esprit Gillenormand is described as an elderly man whose appearance and habits retain the manners of the eighteenth century. After withdrawing from society and moving to the Marais, he keeps his door closed during daylight and admits visitors only after his five o’clock dinner, refusing to change his inherited custom.
What happens
- M. Luc-Esprit Gillenormand retains his gray hair and an appearance that combines dignity with old-fashioned frivolity.
- In 1814 and the early Restoration years, he lives on Rue Servandoni in the Faubourg Saint-Germain.
- He moves to the Marais only after leaving society, well past eighty.
- In retirement, he shuts out every daytime visitor and opens his door after dinner at five.
- He defends evening sociability as fashionable and makes no exception even for the king.
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What to notice
M. Luc-Esprit Gillenormand presents evening visits as a mark of fashionable behavior. The statement explains his rigid schedule and his attachment to older manners.
Quick check
When does Gillenormand open his door to visitors?
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