Summary of chapters 4.11.3-4.12.3:

As a barber is shaving a veteran of some kind, Gavroche runs by the shop, then meets the rest of the Amis, who are in the process of rounding up people and ammunition for their cause. They see a sign from the Bishop of Paris stating that citizens may eat eggs this Lent, and this irritates Bahorel into ripping it off the wall, to which Enjolras says he should save his energy. M. Mabeuf appears, walking as if drunk, and Courfeyrac recognizes the old man from the many times he has accompanied Marius back to their residence. Courfeyrac advises Mabeuf to go home, but Mabeuf seems interested in their revolt and follows the group; Gavroche sings a little song as they head toward the barricades. Their group continues to increase; an older man whom none of them know joins them. They pass Courfeyrac’s home and he goes inside to retrieve some things he forgot, and the portress of the building tells him someone is there to see him. This turns out to be a person who appears to be a young man, who looks more like a girl in boy’s clothes with a voice more like a woman’s, who asks for Monsieur Marius. Courfeyrac responds that he is not here and doesn’t know when he’ll be back, this person asks where Courfeyrac himself is going, and upon learning it is the barricades, asks to join the group, then follows them. Their mob keeps growing and they find themselves in the Rue Saint Denis. Hugo gives us a little history: there is a wine-shop called Corinth in the place where the barricade in the Rue de la Chanvrerie was put up—this area is dilapidated and shaped like a funnel that is cut off at the end of the street. This particular wine-shop, once called “Pot aux Roses,” then the phrase “The Grape of Corinth” was written on its sign, leading people to call it simply “Corinth.” It was owned by a Father Hucheloup, whose specialty was a dish called “carpes au gras,” which he painted as “carpes ho gras,” being unable to spell, which then got washed away into “carpe horas.” This Corinth is one of the common meeting places of Courfeyrac and friends and was discovered by Grantaire, and they all liked its proprietor very much. When Hucheloup died, they continued to frequent the place, even though his widow didn’t know how to make his famous dish. The Amis de l’ABC met in an upper room. On June 5th, Laigle and Joly (who live together) go to Corinth one morning and are later met by Grantaire. Grantaire eats a bad oyster and launches into a rant about the rottenness of humankind. Joly brings up the fact that Marius is in love with someone and Grantaire pins them exactly: he says they fall into “ecstasies where they forget to kiss” and “sleep together in the stars” which is true. A child of around 10 appears, asking for Bossuet (which is Laigle) and says a “big light-complexioned man” said to go there and tell Bossuet “A-B-C” which the group knows is a signal for General Lamarque’s funeral, meaning it is time to ready the barricades, and that the man was Enjolras. They stay a while still, then go to make a barricade, which Laigle suggests they do right where they are—in the Rue de la Chanvrerie. This barricade is well-placed, and they commence tearing up the street and surrounding buildings for materials, then evacuate an omnibus to use to complete the barring of the road. Madame Hucheloup is deeply distressed. Enjolras tells Grantaire to leave and come back when he is sober, but Grantaire says he will not, although he does fall asleep.

Questions for 4.12.3:

1. Do you think the residents of the street they barricade will help the Amis de l'ABC in their revolt? What do you think will be their next steps?
2. Did you have a favorite line or passage from this chapter? If so, what made it stand out to you?
3. Were there any instances of figurative language you thought added to the narrative of this chapter?
4. Do you have any other comments or questions about this chapter?

Final line:

He stammered out a few more unintelligible words [...] a moment later he was asleep.

Previous discussion

Previous summary (updating soon, for real this time)

[New weekly spoiler thread will be up tomorrow.]