The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1902-08-11
The Work of Victor Hugo.
CONTINUED from 1st page.)

plicity of childhood, to the charm of
flowers, of delicate fancies. of exoui.
/ site and tender feelings, sensitive to
the beauty of high thoughts; yet was
often artificial in sentimentality, lack
ing the grace of moderation in the ex.
preston of emotion. Sane, simple.
with the calm poise of the serene
thinker he was yet often ruled by the
vagaries of a peculiarly rich and ex-
citable imagination, occasionally
swept away by ideas whose logical
outcome would be anarchy and the
destruction of that which he himself
held most dear Rhetorical. theatrical,
he was at the same time a sincere
patriot, and also sincere in his devo-
ton to the cause of romanticism. of
which he was the acknowledged lead
er.
When we think of Victor Hugo as
the writer, then the colossus looms
up before us as gigantic, not to be
measured He eXcelled in the three
branches of literature poetry, the
drama, and the romance, and had be.
sides gifts as an orator and writer
of letters.
Will all the manifestations of his
genius as poet, dramatist, and novel
list, his personality-wha he himself
was, what he felt, what opinions he
held-was closely connected
In his metrical tales and ballads are
everywhere manifest his marvellous
vividness, his dramatic skill, his pow
er to tell a story even in one terse,
luminous phrase, His range is well
shown when we contrast these tender
lyrics, these vivid ballads, with his
scathing, pitiless Satire verse. His
supreme gift of poetry is shown in his
dramas and in his impassioned prose,
He had a true inspiration for grand
eur.
IN his drama he often distorts his
tory, sometimes leads the unwary far
astray. He chooses unnatural, extra
VACANT situations, but is nevertheless
extremely effective. He possesses
creative fire, creative vitality which
enthrall the imagination. Human
voices speak from his pages, reas
men and women live before us.
Victor Hugo did work as novelist
which, had he never written drama or
poem, would have made him a notable
iigure in modern literature. An en-
thusiastic admirer here in America
mas been disposed 10 speak of Les
Miserables in the same breath as the
masterpieces of Dante and Milton.
1t is not yet seventeen years since
Victor Hugo passed out into the in
finite sea of the immortal life. 1t is
not yea possible to estimate with eX-
actitude how much of his work is to
endure. Many of the literary and poi
tical questions which influenced him
so profoundly are still subjects for in
quiry, for discussion, and for contro-
versy. Principles for which he fought
so bravely and won such mastery vic
tories have still to be fought for. Even
in this New World exist many of the
sociological problems which confront
ed Victor Hugo, with which he wres-
tied and which inspired some of his
most passionate bursts of eloquence
Only when these problems are solved
will his winged words lose their pow
er. Some of his books will indeed
be forgotten with the local occasions
which gave them birth, but all of his
work will be of value TO the student
who studies French literature in a
time of peculiar and absorbing in
terest, and who is concerned with the
political agitations of most vivid
and intense period in French history,
And this is certain: as long as the
heart has passions, as long as life has
woes, Victor Hugo's best work will
last