Welcome, everyone. We are so glad you're here
with us today. Yeah, thanks for having me. It's
great to be here. If you are listening to this
right now, chances are you're the kind of person
who loves to learn. You know, someone who really
wants to peek behind the curtain of history and
see how art and culture and politics all just
sort of collide. And that is exactly our mission
for today's deep dive. We are exploring the history
behind a monumental piece of French literature,
Victor Hugo's poetry collection, Les Orientales,
which was first published way back in January
of 1829. It really is just a fascinating era
to explore because, I mean, when people hear
the name Victor Hugo, they usually jump straight
to the massive, sprawling novels he wrote much
later in life. Right. The big, heavy ones. Exactly.
We think of the towering social critiques, the
heavy philosophical burdens of his older years.
But focusing on Les Oriental captures something
completely different. It gives us a snapshot
of a younger Hugo right at a pivotal moment in
his career. And more than that, it acts as a
mirror for the broader cultural mindset of the
French audience he was writing for at the time.
So this isn't just about blowing the dust off
some old 19th century literature. This deep dive
is really a shortcut to understanding how art
can be shaped by political revolution. and how
an artist can play into the cultural biases of
their audience to create an absolute smash hit.
Right. Okay, let's unpack this because the sheer
creative output we're looking at here is wild.
It really is. There are 41 poems in Les Oriental.
But here's the kicker. 36 of those poems were
written in a single year. Wow. Specifically,
1828. The creative momentum he must have had
to produce 36 poems of this caliber in just 12
months is, well, it's staggering. Yeah, it's
almost a poem a week. And these weren't simple
rhymes either. They are remembered historically
as highly colored tableau. Okay, what does that
mean exactly? Basically, Hugo was painting these
incredibly vibrant, intense visual scenes with
his words, all depicting the Eastern Mediterranean.
You have to imagine the sheer sensory overload
of the imagery, the blazing sun, the clash of
empires, the dramatic landscapes. And he wasn't
just pulling this geography out of nowhere to
be colorful, right? Like there was a very specific
real world political backdrop that triggered
this entire collection. Exactly. the collection
was the greek war of independence right this
was a major highly publicized conflict at the
time the greeks were fighting to free themselves
from the ottoman empire and all of europe was
watching in left oriental the framing of this
conflict is very deliberate hugo underscores
a stark binary contrast between the freedom loving
greeks on one side and the imperialist ottoman
turks on the other Was that a risky move for
a young poet? I mean taking such a hard stance
on an ongoing geopolitical conflict? Not at all.
In fact, from a strategic standpoint, it was
brilliant. Yeah, this specific depiction perfectly
reflected the cultural and political bias of
the French public at the time. This wasn't some
niche avant -garde subject that risked alienating
his readers. Oh, I see. The subject of the Greek
struggle was highly fashionable in Parisian salons.
By tapping directly into what was already trending
in the minds of the French public, he practically
guaranteed the book's massive success. I want
you to think about that for a second because
we see this all the time today. Think about how
modern media, whether it's a blockbuster movie,
a hit television show, or even the daily news
you consume. Oh, absolutely. It often leans heavily
into the specific biases or interests of its
target audience to ensure engagement. You give
the people exactly what they're already passionate
about. Victor Hugo was doing exactly this in
1829. He was reading The Room, and The Room wanted
to read about the Eastern Mediterranean and the
romanticized struggle of the Greek War of Independence.
What's fascinating here is the contradiction
between how the public devoured it and how Hugo
himself described the work. Right, the quote.
He actually referred to Les Orientales as this
impractical book of pure poetry. The original
French phrase he used was, Ce livre inutile de
poésie pure. Impractical book. Right. He's almost
waving it away, claiming it has no practical
real world utility. He is telling the world,
don't look too closely. It's just art for art's
sake. But historians and literary critics don't
really buy that, do they? It seems like a classic
misdirection. it is a massive misdirection despite
hugo's claim that it was just an impractical
useless book the underlying themes are actually
deeply political how so well the general theme
of the entire collection is a profound celebration
of liberty Hugo is doing this incredibly sophisticated
thing where he connects the ancient Greeks, the
founders of democracy with the modern world.
And by doing so, he is linking the concept of
freedom in politics directly to the concept of
freedom in art. Wait, how does writing poetry
about the Mediterranean translate to artistic
freedom, though? Was the literary establishment
actually telling him what he could and couldn't
write? They absolutely were. At the time, the
French literary world was dominated by the classicists.
Okay. These were traditional writers who essentially
felt they owned the rights to ancient history
and classical forms. They believed poetry should
follow strict, rigid rules of meter and focus
on stoic, restrained themes of Greco -Roman antiquity.
So very rigid, very old school. Exactly. Hugo,
by writing these chaotic, vibrant, modern, politically
charged poems about the Mediterranean, was deliberately...
rebelling against that old guard. He was reclaiming
antiquity on his own terms, using new rhythms
and explosive imagery. So he is actively dismantling
the old literary regime while pretending he is
just writing pretty verses. Yes. And this rebellious
streak ties directly into his own personal evolution
too. It does. We can trace a fascinating shift
in his political views playing out right there
in the pages of the poetry. Right. When he was
in his early 20s, Hugo was known for his staunch
royalism, supporting the traditional French monarchy.
But as we move through the poems of 1828, there
is a clear rediscovery of the Napoleonic enthusiasms
of his childhood. Let's look at the specific
example of this because it's so bold. The 40th
poem in the collection is simply titled Louis.
Which translates to him. Right. Just him. And
in the context of 19th century France, calling
a poem him wasn't subtle. Not at all. Everyone
knew exactly who him was. It was a direct, undeniable
nod to Napoleon Bernaparte. Remember, Napoleon
had been defeated and exiled and the monarchy
was back in power. So for Hugo, a former royalist,
to write a soaring poem titled Louis, he is publicly
charting his political evolution right there
on the page. He is putting it all out there.
Yes, he is embracing the complex revolutionary
and imperial legacy of Napoleon, signaling a
massive shift in his worldview. He's bailing
on two fronts then, the political front and the
literary front, all while hiding behind this
guise of pure poetry. Exactly. But to really
understand this collection, we also have to look
at how it handles cultural depictions, specifically
regarding the Ottoman Turks. It's not a simple
one -dimensional portrayal of villains. No, it's
highly complex and deeply contradictory. The
depiction of Turks in the collection is historically
documented as a messy mix of condemnation, idealization,
and crude envy. How does that even work? How
do you condemn a culture while simultaneously
idealizing it and envying it? If we connect this
to the bigger picture, this kind of contradictory
portrayal is a textbook example of Orientalism.
Right, Orientalist attitudes. Now, just to be
very clear for you listening, we are impartially
reporting the text's analysis here. We are not
endorsing these viewpoints, but simply conveying
the historical and cultural attitudes contained
in the original source material. We have to look
at this to understand the era. Precisely. In
the context of 1829 France, Orientalism was a
deeply flawed stereotype lens through which Western
artists and writers viewed the East. The Orient
wasn't treated as a real place with real nuanced
people. It was treated as a blank canvas for
French psychological projections. It's crucial
to look at this through the lens of history.
By exploring this, we see exactly how this mindset
functioned at the time. The biases of 19th century
France are baked right into the text. Exactly.
On one hand, French writers would condemn the
Ottoman Empire politically to support the Greeks.
Right. But on the other hand... They idealized
the perceived exoticism of the East. They envied
what they imagined was a world of unbridled passion,
luxury, and freedom from the strict, stuffy moral
codes of Parisian society. So it was a projection
of what they couldn't have. Yes. It's a historical
artifact that shows us how a dominant culture
views the other, revealing far more about French
desires and anxieties than it ever did about
actual life in the Mediterranean. Here's where
it gets really interesting. Out of all the 40...
poems in this collection, there's one that demands
special attention. Oh, absolutely. It's the 34th
poem, written in May of 1828, titled Mazepa.
And the legendary backstory to this poem is just
absolutely wild. It really is the centerpiece
when it comes to the raw emotion of the collection.
The poem deals with the historical legend of
Ivan Mazepa. And the reason he becomes a legend
in this context is because of a brutal, terrifying
punishment. As the story goes, Mazepa was a young
page who was caught in a love affair with the
wife of a powerful Polish nobleman. The nobleman's
revenge is so visceral. The poem is organized
into two distinct parts, and the first part is
purely physical agony. Hugo describes Mazepa
being stripped completely naked and strapped
tightly to the back of a wild, untamed horse.
It is a shocking image. And then the horse is
set loose to race across the vast, unforgiving
plains of Russia. You have to picture the severity
of this. It's a harrowing image of total helplessness.
He is bound entirely to this wild animal with
absolutely no control over where he's going or
how fast. It's dragged along. He is dragged through
the brush, enduring the blistering sun, the freezing
nights, the hunger, the thirst. Flocks of ravens
are circling overhead, waiting for him to die.
He is just enduring this terrifying, violent
journey until the horse eventually collapses
and dies from sheer exhaustion. That is the grueling
physical reality Hugo paints in the first part.
But then the poem shifts. Yeah. The horse is
dead. The physical journey is over. And the second
part goes somewhere completely unexpected. Yes,
the second part transitions into a spiritual
journey. It's about Mazepa's spiritual return
to life after this near -death ordeal. He is
rescued and he eventually rises to become a powerful
leader. But what makes this so profound is how
this second half is widely interpreted. Historically,
this poem is understood as an incredibly potent
allegory for the creative process itself. Let's
really unpack that metaphor. The creative process
is being strapped naked to a runaway horse. Yeah.
Think about what that represents for a writer
or an artist. You are bound completely to this
massive, uncontrollable beast, which is your
inspiration, your genius, or your muse. And that
beast doesn't care about your comfort. Not at
all. It drags you through the dirt. It starves
you. It completely exhausts you until you feel
like you are dying. The physical toll of trying
to capture an idea of wrangling with your own
mind is agonizing. You have no control over where
the inspiration takes you. You just have to hold
on and survive the ride. There is a powerful...
quote that summarizes this allegorical meaning
perfectly the text says he races he flies he
falls he rises again king he rises again king
it is the ultimate vindication the pain the lack
of control the agonizing journey of the physical
world that is the suffering the artist has to
endure but if you can survive it if you can make
it to the end of that relentless ride without
breaking you experience a spiritual rebirth you
come out the other side you have created something
immortal And you rise as a king. It's an incredibly
dramatic, almost violent way to view writing.
It changes everything about how you read a book.
And what's also notable here is how interconnected
the art world was regarding this specific legend
of Mazepa. Hugo wasn't the only one obsessed
with this imagery. Far from it. It's a fascinating
web of inspiration. Hugo actually psychs Lord
Byron in the poem. The famous British romantic
poet had written his own narrative poem, also
titled Mazepa, years earlier. And the connections
don't stop there. Hugo dedicated his version
of the poem to a man named Louis Boulanger. Boulanger
was a French painter who had actually painted
a dramatic visual version of Lord Byron's Mazepa.
You can see the feedback loop of 19th century
art playing out in real time. Right. Everyone
feeding off each other. You have a historical
legend from Eastern Europe, which inspires a
British poet. whose work then inspires a French
painter, whose painting then inspires a French
poet to write his own allegorical masterpiece,
which he then dedicates back to the painter while
citing the British poet. That is incredible.
All of these works ultimately derive from the
massive cultural legacy of Ivan Mazepa. It shows
how a single powerful story of suffering and
survival can ripple through different mediums,
crossing borders and languages. It really illustrates
that nothing is created in a vacuum. These artists
were reading each other looking at each other's
paintings responding to each other's interpretations
of the same myth. They were fueling each other's
wild horses so to speak. That is a great way
to put it. And speaking of incredible output,
as we wrap up our exploration of this specific
era, I think we have to zoom out and just marvel
at the sheer scope of Victor Hugo as a literary
titan. It is essential context. Les Oriental
was a massive success in 1829, written while
he was still in his 20s. But when you look at
the entirety of his bibliography, the endurance
of his creative output is almost overwhelming.
Right. He started with early, intense novels
like Hans of Iceland in 1823 and Bug Jargon.
all in 1826. But then you look at what he would
eventually become, the author of works that are
absolute. pillars of world literature. We're
talking about the Hunchback of Notre Dame in
1831, exploring architecture and the crush of
fate. Yes. Les Misérables in 1862, which is this
towering monument to human suffering, justice,
and redemption. Toilers of the Sea in 1866. And
it wasn't just novels and poetry. Right. He wrote
foundational plays like Cromwell and Hernani,
an extensive essay on William Shakespeare in
1864, and even a fiery political pamphlet called
Napoleon the Petit in 1852. His career spans
decades of relentless production. And if we look
back specifically at the contents list of Les
Oriental, just reading the titles of the poems
gives you a sense of the immense dramatic range
he possessed, even as a young man. Oh, absolutely.
I'm going to read a few of these out loud just
to paint a final audio picture for you of what
readers in 1829 were experiencing when they opened
this book. You have... evocative titles like
Le Feu du Ciel, which translates to the fire
of the sky. Beautiful. You have Les Gens, La
Douleur du Pacha, Chansons de Pierrettes par
le Sens. Aha, yes. You have Clevelune, Macheterque,
and La Ville Prize, The Taken City. You can practically
hear the clashing swords, the music, and the
drama just in the titles. This raises an important
question. When you look at the breadth of this
one collection and the entirety of his career
that followed, how did this man balance creating
something that was highly fashionable and guaranteed
to please the masses while simultaneously sneaking
in profound personal evolution, political critique,
and deep philosophical allegories about the agony
of creation? It's a juggling act. It is. Hugo
managed to do all of that in a book he publicly
brushed off as impractical pure poetry. So what
does this all mean for us today? What's the real
takeaway for you from this deep dive into an
1829 poetry collection? Good question. I think
it reminds us that art is always doing multiple
things at once. Victor Hugo took a trendy, highly
publicized political conflict in the Greek War
of Independence. He mixed it with the existing
cultural biases and Orientalist attitudes of
his French audience. And in doing so, he charted
his own political awakening, moving from conservative
royalism to a complicated Napoleonic enthusiasm
right there on the page. And through the legend
of Mazepa, he gave us a timeless, brutal metaphor.
for the creative process itself. And that metaphor
leaves us with something really compelling to
think about. We talked at length about Mazepa
being strapped naked to a dying horse, racing
across the plains until he falls, only to rise
again as a king, and how that represents the
agonizing, involuntary journey of creation. If
that is truly how Victor Hugo viewed the creative
process as a young man in 1828, how should that
change the way we read his later works? That
is a fascinating lens to look through. Think
about the massive, agonizing struggles of the
characters in his later novels. When we read
about Jean Valjean carrying the weight of the
world through the sewers of Paris in Les Miserables
or Quasimodo bound to the stone wheels of fate
in Notre Dame. Wow. Were those sweeping stories
just about society, law and justice? Or was Hugo,
on some deeply personal level, always writing
about that same painful, relentless ride of creation
he first outlined in Les Oriental? Was he always
just Mazepa on the horse, enduring the agony
until he could rise again? That is such a brilliant
thought to leave on. Every massive novel he wrote
might just be another wild ride across the steps.
We will leave you to mull that one over on your
own. Thank you so much for joining us for this
deep dive into Victor Hugo, French literature,
poetry, politics, and the wild ride of creativity.
It was a pleasure. We love exploring these fascinating
corners of history with you. Until next time,
keep learning, keep questioning, and we will
see you on the next deep dive.