Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo

4 5.1
A famous French writer from the 1800s who wrote Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
  • proper noun
  • /ˈvɪktər ˈjuːɡoʊ/
  • Literature
: Víctor Hugo
  • The poetry of Victor Hugo often reflects his political and social ideals.

Examples

  • Many critics consider Victor Hugo one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century.

  • 'Les Misérables' was written by the celebrated French author Victor Hugo.

  • Many consider Victor Hugo one of the greatest French writers.

  • Did Victor Hugo really write 'Les Misérables'?

  • Victor Hugo is celebrated for his powerful novels, including Victor Hugo's 'Les Misérables' and 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.'

  • The literary works of Victor Hugo often explore themes of social justice and human rights.

  • Many students study Victor Hugo in literature classes to understand the Romantic movement in France.

Surface Forms

Victor Hugo main

Morphology

Victor + Hugo

This is a personal name (a named entity). Knowing the constituent words 'Victor' and 'Hugo' might signal that it refers to a person but does not let a B1 learner derive the specific biographical meaning (19th-century French poet/novelist/dramatist). Proper names are referential and arbitrary, so the MWE’s meaning is not compositional or predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Victor Hugo was a famous French writer of the 1800s who wrote long, dramatic stories such as 'Les Misérables' and 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'. His books show strong feelings and care about poor people and justice, so today his name stands for a great novelist who wrote about big human problems.