[Pocket Edition] World Classics Library - The Man with the Smiling Face

Author: [French] Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book is the last novel written by Hugo during his period of exile. Set in England in the late 17th to early 18th centuries, it follows the of Guerbala, a noble heir whose face was disfigured from birth, showcasing the starkly different lives of various social classes after the English bourgeoisie revolution. The novel vividly contrasts the ugly and greedy nature of the aristocracy with the noble and selfless virtues of the impoverished people. Hugo's artistic principle of "contrast between beauty and ugliness" is once again vividly demonstrated in this work. Despite his extremely ugly appearance, Guerbala possesses a beautiful and noble heart. His pure love with the blind girl Deya, along with his just and generous actions in the noble court, reveal the high ideals hidden beneath his deformed face and the radiance of human beauty shining through his frail body. This is also the artistic charm of The Man with the Smiling Face.