#digression

I will make just a couple of observations. I like how Hugo presents the Restoration as an outcome of societal fatigue and inertia. After experiencing years of significant figures and momentous events, 'the nation' yearned for something 'small' (an interesting suggestion). This desire led to an inclination to return to a perceived state of 'normalcy,' a tendency fraught with peril!

Guarantees and charters vs. the divine right. The dynasty took it for granted that the divine right places them above the guarantees. It’s a very nice passage about the roots and the past: “It thought that it had roots, because it was the past. It was mistaken; it formed a part of the past, but the whole past was France. The roots of French society were not fixed in the Bourbons, but in the nations.”

It’s worth noting that Hugo does credit the Restoration with progressive accomplishments: “the nation had grown accustomed to calm discussion, which had been lacking under the Republic, and to grandeur in peace, which had been wanting under the Empire.” The time of peace gave rise to many things, praised by Hugo: “For a space of fifteen years, those great principles which are so old for the thinker, so new for the statesman, could be seen at work in perfect peace, on the public square; equality before the law, liberty of conscience, liberty of speech, liberty of the press, the accessibility of all aptitudes to all functions. Thus it proceeded until 1830.”

"Trump’s levels of complexity have always been unmistakably low, said Pennebaker. Whereas most presidential candidates are in the 60 to 70 range, Trump’s speeches range from 10 to 24...

" 'We’re also going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your political beliefs,” Trump said in the New Hampshire speech. “What they do, they want to debank you. And we are going to debank, think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country, the things you’re doing. All electric cars. Give me a break. If you want an electric car, good. But they don’t go far. They’re very expensive.' ”

Italo Calvino died before completing ’Consistency,’ one of his “Six Memos for the Next Millennium:”

In ‘Quickness,’ he writes:

"Divagation or digression is a way to postpone the ending"

And wen i wryt

Of Jean Valjean

And of his plight

And wen suspense

Is in excess

I still my plot