Realistic Portrait of Madame Thénardier: A Literary Analysis of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables
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Madame Thénardier, Les Misérables, Victor Hugo, character analysis, literary portrait, French literature, realistic portrait, metaphors, imagery, literature analysis
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Abstract
Unlock the vivid portrait of Madame Thénardier, a complex character from Victor Hugo's timeless masterpiece, Les Misérables. This compelling description masterfully weaves together physical appearance, mannerisms, and household dominance, creating a realistic and immersive image. Through a series of metaphors and oxymorons, Hugo crafts a nuanced character study that not only highlights Madame Thénardier's coarse nature but also her multifaceted personality. Discover how her portrayal as 'a mincing woman under the ogress' and 'the ideal of a market porter dressed as a girl' showcases Hugo's literary genius. Explore the intricate details that make Madame Thénardier a fascinating and formidable figure in literature.
Extract
[...] The last comparison "like the product of grafting a damsel on a fishwife" highlights the common point between the terms "damsel" and "fishwife" which is the fact of referring to a woman, but in a still pejorative allusion. The last sentence is structured by a parallelism of construction: "When one [ . one said: It's a [ . in a ternary rhythm. The terms that emerge from it "gendarme », « charretier» andbourreau » are put in opposition with « it's a woman » to conclude that she has almost none of its characteristics. [...]
[...] Les Misérables, Part Book Chapter 2 - Victor Hugo (1862) - In what way is the portrait of Madame Thénardier a realistic portrait made of images and metaphors? The portrait of Madame Thénardier: a realistic portrait made of images and metaphors Mme Thénardier is first characterized by her age, 'the forties,' who is the fifties of women ». The expression applied aims, before any description, to present Mme T. as more marked physically than her age, in a completely made expression. [...]
[...] The description of Cosette tends to highlight their differences in a metaphor: mouse in the service of an elephant" which opposes the terms "mouse" and "elephant" in an oxymoron. In addition to her physical appearance, her manners present her as a coarse woman: "She swore", "she boasted", the imperfect tense emphasizing the habit acquired in her manners. The laudatory adverb "splendidly" attached to the verb "swore" tends to present this action as a quality. The only positive point in this description is the allusion to her reading habits: "Without the novels she had read". [...]
