Dickens Vs Hugo

Matthew Morris

Mrs. Griffith

High School Writing

3 May 2015

Dickens vs Hugo

In the 1800’s, the typical styles of literature were Romanticism and Realism. Romanticism preceded Realism, however, oftentimes both occurred in a single piece of literature. Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo reflected the artistic feel of the time by employing both styles in each of their works. In Great Expectations, and Les Miserables, however, each author showed a definite preference for one style over the other. Utilizing two literary styles in one piece of literature adds relatability to the characters in the story. This helped to establish both of these works as classics, which would be read and loved for generations to come.

In order to compare and contrast these

His writing was influenced by quite a few factors. One of his influences was his father, an officer under Napoleon. This directly correlates with the character Marius from Les Miserables his father, was also an officer under Napoleon. “…Colonel Baron Pontmercy. He had only one old blue coat, and he never went out without putting on the rosette of an officer of the Legion of Honor.” (Hugo 227). Another factor that influenced Hugo was France’s July Revolution. During these events, Hugo was caught up in the action just by his house being too close to the barricades. In Les Miserables, when the characters speak about going down to the barricades, Hugo was putting this in the context of the student’s revolt. One of the other things that influenced Hugo was his teenage courtship. When Hugo was 15, he fell in love with his childhood friend Adele Foucher, but knowing that her parents would disapprove, they both would meet secretly in a garden and pass love letters covertly. This is very similar to when Marius and Cosette start “dating”. They both knew that Jean Valjean would disapprove so they met secretly in the garden in the back of Cosette’s home. Victor Hugo was a very successful writer because he filled his pages with

The most striking is their portrayal of criminals. Both Jean Valjean and Magwitch went to prison for very small crimes, and this turned them into convicts that if not for great luck, would have had no chance for a future. Both Dickens and Hugo go out of their way to express how sad it was that something so small could ruin a man’s life forever. Another thing that these two authors have in common is their realistic portrayal of the poor. They both were poor at a time and Dickens even got an up close and personal experience of what is was to be in poverty. One more thing that the authors had in common was the contrast between good and evil. For Hugo it was placing the Thenardiers and Cosette together to compare them, and for Dickens it was contrasting cruel unloving Estella with kind and compassionate Bitty. Both authors had different ways of employing their styles, but they have several things in