For a long time, Victor Hugo's novels attracted little critical attention in spite of their obvious power and uniqueness. In recent years, however, scholars have returned to Notre-Dame de Paris, Les Miserables, Les Travailleurs de la mer, Quatrevingt-treize and L'Homme qui rit, uncovering the diversity, the thematic and narrative singularity, the shifting ironies and resistance to interpretative closure of works once judged simplistic and based upon 'une sagesse abregee'. The eleven essays in this volume bring together various critical approaches from eminent French, British and American scholars, to provide a new point of departure and to provoke discussion. The contributors range from the most distinguished specialists with world-wide reputations to young scholars at the beginning of their career who none the less have challenging and original things to say about a fascinating and unjustly neglected subject. (Legenda 2002)

Résumé
This study of Victor Hugo's work aims to uncover the diversity, the thematic and narrative singularity, and the shifting ironies and resistance to interpretative closure of his writing. Novels examined include: "Notre-Dame de Paris", "Les Miserables", "Les Travailleurs de la Mer", "Quatre vingt-treize", and "L'Homme qui Rit". The 11 essays in the volume bring together various critical approaches from French, British and American scholars, in an attempt to provide a new point of departure and to provoke discussion of Victor Hugo's novels. This publication marks the bicentenary of Hugo's birth in 1802.