The Project Gutenberg EBook of La Legende des Siecles, by Victor Hugo

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Title: La Legende des Siecles

Author: Victor Hugo

Release Date: April 24, 2004 [EBook #12137]

Language: English and French

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

LA LEGENDE DES SIECLES

BY VICTOR HUGO

EDITED BY G. F. BRIDGE, M.A.

GENERAL PREFACE

Encouraged by the favourable reception accorded to the 'Oxford Modern
French Series,' the Delegates of the Clarendon Press determined, some
time since, to issue a 'Higher Series' of French works intended for
Upper Forms of Public Schools and for University and Private Students,
and have entrusted me with the task of selecting and editing the various
volumes that will be issued in due course.

The titles of the works selected will at once make it clear that this
series is a new departure, and that an attempt is made to provide
annotated editions of books which have hitherto been obtainable only in
the original French texts. That Madame de Stael, Madame de Girardin,
Daniel Stern, Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Flaubert, Gautier are among the
authors whose works have been selected will leave no doubt as to the
literary excellence of the texts included in this series. Works of such
quality, intended only for advanced scholars, could not be annotated in
the way hitherto usual, since those for whom they have been prepared are
familiar with many things and many events of which younger students have
no knowledge. Geographical and mythological notes have therefore been
generally omitted, as also historical events either too well known to
require elucidation or easily found in the ordinary books of reference.

By such omissions a considerable amount of space has been saved which
has allowed of the extension of the texts, and of their equipment with
notes less elementary than usual, and at the same time brighter and
more interesting, whilst great care has been taken to adapt them to the
special character of each volume.

The Introductions are also a novel feature of t