The Companions of Jehu

About “The Companions of Jehu”

This is the prologue to a 1857 novel by Alexandre Dumas. The author questions whether the prologue is useful but feels compelled to include it as a preface rather than a chapter. The text reflects on how life and art are connected, suggesting that nothing happens by chance and that events have roots in the past and future. It contrasts youth with age, describing youth as a time of carefree enjoyment of the present, like spring with its fresh mornings and beautiful evenings. Even when difficulties arise, they pass, leaving a clearer sky and a more cheerful nature.