VICTOR HUGO’S LES MISERABLES AS A SENTIMENTAL NOVEL

Abstract

The aim of this article is proving the existence of different literary genres characteristic for a sentimental novel in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. Victor Hugo’s work of literature is referred to a notion of hybrid novel since it contains numerous subgenres of sentimental narrative. Structural analysis of this text , successively a presentation of love in Cosette and Marius’ plot point, a presence of three narrative invariants of which a love story consists, namely an encountering (Fr. Rencontre), a separation (disjunction) and a final reunion of lovers (conjunction finale). There exist some linking points between tales in particular Cinderella story and the sentimental novel. The similarities were demonstrated on an example of Cosette - Les Misérables’ character who is humiliated by Thenardier couple and who becomes a beautiful and full of brighteness girl thanks to another character Jan Valjean.