Victor Marie Hugo and the Romantic Era Essay -- French Literature

Victor Marie Hugo and the romanticist Era Victor Marie Hugo and the literature that changed France, if not the world His novels pose a purpose historical, moral, social or all at once. &9Their exigent vibrating style, and the frequent intrusion of the authors inflections may awaken a sense of tug but they have kept their hold on others than school boys and the grotesque, swarming, gothic crowds surging the huge cathedral (Notre Dame de Paris), the symbolic fight between man and the sea (Les Travialleurs de Mer). The epic allegories of vice, suffering and regeneration in the background signal of modern society of its cruelty and indifference it has secured themselves a place among the french books that live (Cazamian, 1964). At the age of twenty-five Victor Hugo published his bidding Crom easy which, though never preformed, changed the course of literature. The preface especially was viewed by the bud romantic movement as the manifesto for the new school. The principles he exp ounded there established him as the uncontested leader of the movement. Hugos early whole shebang would define the t cardinal, subjects and style of the period. He discarded the rules of the classic period with its perseverance of time, place and action, it restrictive superfluous vocabulary and the limit of a xxiv hour time period for drama. He established the legitimacy of addressing the strange, the savage and the grotesque. Hugo led literature back to nature declaring that the Poet should have only one model, nature only one guide, truth. He compared the classical literature to the royal stag park at Versailles maintaining that it was artificial literature much like the well leveled, well pruned, well raked, well sanded grounds of the great la... ...omantic movement cannot be overstated, he was its greatest master. Likewise Hugos importance to the French cognizance of his era cannot be exaggerated, the man, the work and the creativity defined an era. Unlike his lax criti cs Hugo took his destiny as well as his countrys in his sturdy hands and made the best of both. His mistakes were made with good intention, and his successes have stood the test of time. Works Cited Cazamian, L. (1964). A History of French Literature. Clarendon, England Oxford &9University Press. Gardner, H. (1993). Creating Minds. forward-looking York City Basic Books. Grant, E. M. (1945). The Career of Victor Hugo. London, England Oxford University Press. Harris, R. W. (1969). Romanticism and the Social Order. colossal Britain Barnes and Noble. Houston, J. P. (1988). Victor Hugo Revised Ed. Boston Mass. Twayne Publishers.