Les Châtiments

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-10-25

Les Châtiments (The Punishments) is a collection of political poems by Victor Hugo, published in 1853 while he was in exile. The work is a fierce satirical attack on Napoleon III and the Second Empire.

Marie reads this work in October 1880 and is profoundly moved by it. She writes: "It's true, Hugo is a genius. And I don't even know if I should say that some of his lyrical comportments astonished me, not to say tired me. No, I don't think so, it's beautiful, it's sublime, and despite the great arms and shrouds and belfries etc., it's human, it's natural, it's beautiful."

However, Marie particularly loves Hugo in his "touching simplicity," citing two examples:

• The last act of Hernani when Doña Sol begs the old man
• The grandmother's language in "L'enfant avait reçu deux balles dans la tête" (The child had received two bullets in the head)

Structure: The collection contains seven books of poems mixing epic grandeur, savage satire, and tender humanity - all unified by Hugo's opposition to Napoleon III's regime.

Historical context: Published during Hugo's 19-year exile for opposing Napoleon III's coup d'état (1851), the work cemented Hugo's reputation as the voice of republican opposition to the Empire.

Marie's response shows her sophisticated literary taste: she appreciates Hugo's grandiose style but prefers his moments of simple, direct emotion.