Hugo and the Misérables

Catalog description

TAUGHT IN FRENCH: Victor Hugo, celebrated poet, playwright, novelist, was also one of the most socially and politically engaged writers of his time. This course examines Hugo's deep commitment to society's misérables and the global implications of his monumental undertaking to sensitize readers to problems of misery, poverty, and social justice in our own time. At the same time, students develop a critical eye for identifying what kind of critical strategies enable Hugo to inspire audiences throughout the world to identify with his ideas and to appropriate the spirit of his work for the development of their own initiatives, from art and film production to causes involving political reform and social justice.