Victor Hugo in Exile
From Historical Representations to Utopian Vistas
Description:... "From the island of Guernsey off the Normandy coast, Hugo wrote, and clandestinely published, a series of scathing critiques of the new regime. Each portrayed the empire as the antithesis of the republican values the French had come to hold dear since the revolution of 1789. Each represented an alternative to the empire's official propaganda machine, exemplified by state-run newspapers as well as public attempts to create and control the emperor's image, including museums, ceremonies, and even the remaking of the city of Paris. Today, Hugo's works such as Les Chatiments and Les Miserables remain cherished texts that over time have helped form the French collective memory of the era.
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