"Les Misérables, v. 4/5: The Idyll and the Epic" by Victor Hugo is the fourth volume of a French epic historical novel first published in 1862. This section follows the lives of ex-convict Jean Valjean and other characters through their struggles in nineteenth-century France, culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris. The novel examines themes of redemption, justice, law and grace, while exploring the nature of romantic and familial love against the backdrop of French history and Parisian society. (This is an automatically generated summary.)