“Aures habet et non audiet”: Sound Imagery in Victor Hugo's Quatrevingt-treize

Abstract

In Quatrevingt-treize (1874), Victor Hugo appeals to his readers’ emotions through the use of repetitive aural imagery. The novel is set during the French Revolution's Vendée uprising of 1793, but many of the messages conveyed are of tolerance and national forgiveness, themes prevalent in French society in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent Paris Commune. Hugo sets up dichotomies of sound and silence to mirror the division between man and nature. The seemingly insurmountable gaps between these ideas reflect the chaos French society was experiencing at the time. Hugo creates an emotional link for his readers, using repetitive soundscapes to engender a sense of urgency and suspense as the opposing forces in the novel work toward their vision of France.

Keywords:

• Franco-Prussian War
• French Revolution
• Victor Hugo
• Quatrevingt-treize
• soundscapes

Notes

¹For more information on the trilogy, see Grossman, especially chapter 4.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melissa Deininger

Melissa Deininger is an Assistant Professor of French at Iowa State University. She is a specialist in cultural production of the long nineteenth century and has presented and published on the influence of literature on national identity. In addition, she has published several articles on the Marquis de Sade's creation of group identities.