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Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the greatest American Architects and much of the populous
viewed him as close to a god. As brilliant and genius as he was in creating a new concept of space, he
was no more godly than any other mortal man. Like all of us he had experiences that impacted his
character. This paper will discuss how the nineteenth century French poet, Victor Hugo, impacted the
great American Architect. In order to make the connections Victor Hugo himself must first be
understood, then comparisons can be made between the two men, and lastly and analysis of how this
In order to fully understand who Victor Hugo was we have to start the story from the beginning.
Victor Hugo was born in Beascon, France in 1802 to Joseph Leopold Sigisbert Hugo and Sophie
Trebuchet. His parents were completely different people. Joseph was from Eastern France and Sophie
was from Western France ("The literature network"). This caused a lot of turmoil that their three
children were forced to be a part of. Their mother lived in Paris and the children spent most of their
childhood traipsing back and forth across Europe to visit their father who was a general in Napoleon's
army and naturally moved around a lot. Victor's father was also the governor of the Italian province of
Victor's Education began when he was twelve years old. He and his two brothers Eugene and
Abel were sent off to the Pension Cordier school of science and art (Barrer, 2010). Victor's education
was also enhanced by several visits to the Louvre as a boy where he studied the art. Victor Hugo
showed a great aptitude for writing poems and dramas. At the age of fifteen he won the poetry contest
held by the Academie Franciase and the following year won the at the Academie des Juex Florax
(Barrer, 2010). His brother's were also great writers but were overshadowed by the accomplishments of
their younger brother. Victor Hugo's professional career as a poet first began in 1822 when he received
Victor Hugo's adult life also began in that year of 1822 when he married his childhood
sweetheart Adele Foucher. Victor and Adele had four children together; Leopoldine, Charles, Francois-
Victor and Adele. The three brothers also began their careers in that year by starting a journal article
About a decade after they were married in 1830 Adele starts a romantic relationship with a
literary critic and friend of Victor Hugo's Sainte Beauve. This abandonment of a sexual relationship
between them caused a lot of strife in their marriage. A few years later, in 1833, Victor Hugo finds
another romantic partner in Juliette Drouet who was an actress in his play “Lucretia Borgia” (Barrer,
2010). The marriage between Adele and Victor never ended, it developed a new level of complexity
and actually gained strength, even though they had each found a different lover. He writes three
collections of poetry about the two women of his life and each one fills a different role. His new found
love, Juliette, becomes completely devoted to Victor and becomes his closest friend and literary
adviser.
Nearing the middle of his professional career Victor is finally elected to the Academie
Franciase. He had applied three times previously before finally being admitted in 1841 (Barrer, 2010).
The Academie Franciase is a chapter of officials who preside over the standards of language and they
In February of 1843 his daughter is married to Charles Vacquerie. In September of that same
year they are both involved in a horrific boating accident and both drown. This is a catastrophic event
in Victor's life. All elements of the event lead this to be understood. He wasn't contacted directly about
the accident and only found out by reading about it in a local paper five days later. He was never able to
see the body of his daughter and he never attended the funeral because he was traveling on business.
He began to contemplate suicide and he quit writing he had been deeply involved in work prior to the
incident. It was as if he had also died when he was exiled from his beloved country of France in 1851.
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
Victor Hugo's writing dry spell lasted for two and a half years. During that time he was on a
quest for answers about life, death and the afterlife (Blackmore, & Blackmore, 2001). He never found
Victor Hugo became involved in politics during the later years of his life. His belief in a cyclical
and constant change gave him the perspective that a revolution was needed to bring social change to
the forefront. In his early adulthood Victor believed in the ideals of the conservative Royalists which he
had grown up with (Thompson, 1970). As he got older he began to see the truth of the world and
shifted his ideals strongly in line with the liberal democrats. As a member of the constitutional
assembly and National Assembly Victor Hugo fought vigorously to right the wrongs of social injustice.
He was also a strong advocate against capital punishment. His attitudes towards these social issues are
evident in his written works long before his ascention into political circles and becomes even more
As Louis Napoleon became president of the French Democracy Hugo was a strong supporter.
After a period of time Louis Napoleon showed signs of change while he was in office and Victor
noticed this and began to oppose him as president. Soon afterward, Louis Napoleon seized power over
the government and initiated martial law to protect himself from anyone who might rise against him.
He crowned himself Emperor Napoleon III and disbanded the National Assembly and most of its
members where arrested. In the end of the change of power there were thousands that had been killed
in order to suppress any defensive efforts against the new emperor of France. Victor Hugo's life was in
danger during this intense political time because he had attempted to organized a resistance against the
emperor and the attempt failed. A price had been put on his head as he was warned by a friend,
Alexander Dumas(Barrer, 2010). He and his family including Juliette fled the country first stopping in
Belgium and then moving to the French speaking but English ruled Channel Islands. Victor Hugo was
then officially banned from all French colonies under the rule of Emperor Napoleon III.
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
During his exile his writing continues and he focuses it on Napoleon III. His collection of
Poetry “Emperor in the Pillory” is a collection of seven thousand lines that make personal attacks at the
new emperor. He uses his technique of portraying the same idea with different imagery to make
Napoleon; a cheap entertainer, an ancient tyrant, a famous criminal, and a mindless animal(Blackmore,
& Blackmore, 2001).While on the islands he continues his search for his lost daughter in attempts to
find a sense of closure. He gains interest in communicating with the otherworldly after not finding any
answers elsewhere. He attends a few “table turning” meetings on the island(Barrer, 2010). At first
Hugo is skeptical of the idea of being able to talk with spirits that are not from this world. He later gets
deeply involved and actually has a chance to communicate with the spirit of Leopoldine. He also
communicates with several other spirits and continues his search for answers to the questions of life
and death. They can not answer these questions, however he claims that they were able to predict the
The Franco-Prussian war brought an end to the terrible reign of Napoleon III in 1870. Victor
Hugo returns to Paris after almost twenty years in exile on the Channel Islands. He marches
triumphantly back into the town were people welcome him with open arms and he is viewed as a demi-
god. He again assumes a position as a political leader. The joy is short lived however as a series of
unfortunate events make the following year “The Year of Horrors” as he portrays the events in his
collection of poetry. The rise of the French Commune, followed shortly after its collapse, ending with a
bloody riot in the streets of Paris. Victor's son Charles dies. Victor travels to Brussels after his son's
funeral to take care of his estate and the wife and two children. He becomes the official guardian of his
grandchildren Georges and Jeanne until their mother is remarried seven years later(Blackmore, &
Blackmore, 2001). His experiences with the children influence him to write a collection of poetry, “The
While in Belgium he also tries to be a humanitarian and opens up his son's home to shelter
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
political refugees. He makes public doctrine to all those who seek care and shelter from persecution.
Then one night an angry mob of people storm the house in the night and stone the house with the intent
of killing all who are inside. Shortly after that incident Victor Hugo is expelled from Belgium and he
returns to Paris(Barrer, 2010). Disaster again strikes Hugo's life as his second son dies two years later.
A few years later in 1878 Victor Hugo is almost felled after suffering from a cerebrovascular stroke.
His abilities to focus and the intensity of his work have been taken away. His involvement in politics is
also diminished after this tragic event(Blackmore, & Blackmore, 2001). The majority of his works that
are published after the stroke are not new creations. Instead they are a selection of the works that Hugo
had in his possession from previous publications that just didn't make it into the publications. This
backlog of work was so vast that collections of his poetry were still being published after his death in
1885 by his literary executor, Paul Merice. Victor had instructed him that all of his work was to be
published and made available to the public. Victor's main reasoning for this was that he believed the
collection of his entire works would form an indivisible whole and that any piece can only truly be
appreciated in the context of his other works. He believed he was creating a bible, not a divine one, but
Understanding the life of Victor Hugo is a window for understanding his written works because
it was developed from and reflects the major turning points in his life that have been previously
elaborated upon in this paper. Victor Hugo was a believer in change and reform for the betterment of
the human race. He saw the change of social order as a corollary to changes in literary order (Shinz,
1908). Victor Hugo was seen as the leader of the French Romantic movement. Later in life he would
As a young writer most of the work followed the prescribed form of French poetry of the
nineteenth century. As he grew older his belief in reform caused him to disregard the established order.
He began to experiment with new vers in school and often received a sharp wrap on the knuckles for
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
such acts(Shinz,1908). This only strengthened his conviction for change in both form and content of his
work. There were three standards that Victor knowingly rejected in his poetry. The most predominant
one was a constraining “style noble” which outlined that any ideas expressed in poetry could not be
done with the use of common language. This meant that the common people wouldn't be able to
understand the ideas or derive meaning from the poems. Victor Hugo wanted to create poetry for every
single individual. The common structure of poetry using a single constant vers was also rejected by the
poet. The vers alexandrin was a very rigid structure which made poetry dull and unmoving. Within it
each line consisted of twelve syllables and each line was divided into two hemistichs (Schinz, 1908).
Victor Hugo use the same twelve syllable line but chose to break it in different proportions of length to
give his poetry a fresh variety. It was called the vers romantique. As he began the vers alexandrin was
still his main mode but as he aged he utilized the vers romantic considerably more. The third standard
that Hugo defied was the common accentuation of the last syllable in each line, in his poetry the
accentuation is placed wherever it is needed to provide the greatest effect. Within all of these standards
is the use of rhyme, this is an idea that at times Hugo would totally abandon, some of his works having
very little or no rhyming connections. Another change in Hugo's poetry was the use of a run over line.
The run over line was forbidden in the poetry in order to provide a correlation between the poetical
Each of these reforms in his poetry created a great deal of variety and considerably expanded
the domain of poetry. His writing was challenging the social condition and his poetical themes
expanded beyond many of his contemporaries, “ he was convicted to express ideas about all of the
world. He claimed to; “ hold the mirror up to all of nature, not merely the comfortable or the
convenient bits of it”(Blackmore, & Blackmore, 2001). On one extreme victor was insistent on facing
the worst and most unjust aspects of human existence, and on the other extreme was Hugo's
uncompromising search for absolute truth(Blackmore, & Blackmore, 2001). His works reflected his
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
views and beliefs of history molded together with his personal experiences. His style of writing vers
was very rapid and careless, he had little consideration for capitalization or punctuation, he left those
Victor Hugo was also a writer of prose. His most famous works through the passage of time
have been Notre Dame de Paris, commonly known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Les
Miserables. Another noteworthy work is Toilers of the Sea. There are several other novels that Hugo
wrote, however these three are the most relevant in attempting to make connections to the life of Frank
Lloyd Wright.
To begin to discuss Notre Dame de Paris, the setting of the book is Paris during the fifteenth
century which was a time of social unrest. The theme of the book is change through time. The selection
of the Notre Dame cathedral serves more than one purpose in the storyline. It is one of the most famous
French cathedrals so almost all of Hugo's readers can identify with it, and the building itself follows the
theme of the book. There is a chapter in which Hugo talks about the cathedral as one of the great
mastery of architecture. The building becomes both a sanctuary and a prison for the two main
The chapter about the architecture of Notre Dame starts off by describing the main elements
that create the front edifice of the cathedral in its glory. Following up on how those major elements
have been changed over time either by the forces of nature or by the acts of man. He describes the acts
of man as much more destructive than acts of nature. The acts of man are results of revolution or even
worse, for aesthetic reasons only(Hugo, 1917). He identifies the main stair which once set the cathedral
apart from the surrounding earth like the pediments of Greek architecture, but now the earth has risen
over time to bring the cathedral back down to the earth. Man has left atrocious scars in the manner of
removing a row of statues that stood on either side of the entry and removing an upper level of twenty
eight niches which at one time housed statues of saints and the great stained glass windows have been
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
replaced with frosted glass. This renewal for the sake of appearances begins with change, but it is not
the same change as that of time or nature because neither is interested in the renewal of appearances.
Hugo describes the change between Romanesque and Gothic periods of architecture. This is where
Notre Dame cathedral shines as a symbol of that shift in ideas. Its short thick roman columns
supporting tall pointed arches(Hugo, 1917). It truly was a shift in ideas that created this juxtaposition of
form as the cathedral was begun under William the Conquerer and was completed in the time of Louis
XI(Hugo, 1917). Victor Hugo also acknowledges this fact that architecture is an expression of an idea
of many people. Up until the invention of the Gutenberg printing press architecture was the record of
human thought through the ages.(Hugo, 1917) This idea is supported by Hugo's representation of
architecture as not so much the work of individuals as of a community. It is the offspring of a Nations
labor more than the outcome of individual genius (Hugo, 1917). Architecture was created by the hands
of collaborating artists under the guidance of the artist who assumed the title of architect. After the
revolution of the printing press this was no longer the case, the artists split up and went their separate
ways. Each art became more skillful and specialized as it continued to develop, but who was there to
produce architecture. It was left to the stone masons because that was the predominant building
material(Hugo, 1917). These were individuals that today would fall under the category of contractors.
In Hugo's mind as the predominance of the book grew fro recording human thought it was the decline
of architecture. There were many logical reasons for books becoming the popular medium for
recording human history. First books were much cheaper to produce, thousands of books could be
made for the price of one Gothic cathedral. It was more widespread and easier for each individual to
contribute his ideas to the growing collection of knowledge. Before the time of the printing press the
literacy rate was very low because books were less accessible and there was great control over the
content of books being printed, mostly by the Roman Catholic church. The printing press
revolutionized this idea of spreading knowledge through text and as a result greatly increased the
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
Victor Hugo does cite Michael Angelo as the last great Architect in the view of artists as
architect with the creation of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. After Michael Angelo, there was no one else
to carry on the beliefs, common practice was to create copies of the great architecture that already
existed, each city creating its own St. Peters (Hugo,1917). This was the time of the Renaissance, a
rebirth of classical ideas that had already been used. As Hugo phrased it “ The Renaissance was a
sunset that man had mistaken for the Dawn”(Hugo, 1917). This was certainly true in the architecture of
the time period. It was this phrase that Frank Lloyd Wright had connected with and this idea was a
driver for his search for a truly American architecture, and his revolt against all those modernists who
and classicists. For Frank Lloyd Wright it was not enough to copy the basic plan of a building and put a
new skin around it and call it new architecture. Hugo also exposed this same exact idea in Notre Dame,
“ All cathedrals no matter what they look like on the outside, either Roman or Gothic, they all follow
the same basic plan of the basilica on the inside.” (Hugo, 1917).
The previous discussion of Notre Dame showed Hugo's talent in depicting dramatic and
complex scenes in a vivid and clear manner. It also gave us an insight to his attention to detail and
foresight into the world of architecture. There are several examples of ways in which Frank Lloyd
Wright was able to absorb ideas from Victor Hugo's book about French Gothic cathedrals and
architectural theory and transfer them into his own works of architecture.
Victor Hugo was also a draftsman. In his early years of school he was given the normal art
curriculum. He often drew as a means to express ideas that he could not yet put into words(Rodari,
Georgel, Sante, & Prevost, 1998). In a way much of his art was done as a tool to further his main line
of work(Rodari, Georgel, Sante, & Prevost, 1998). Much of his art work was done for the amusement
of his family and friends. He had a difficult time in allowing his drawings to be released to critics or the
general public(Rodari, Georgel, Sante, & Prevost, 1998). He had a strong graphic style that was both
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
clear and expressive of deep emotion. He used basic techniques for painting and drawing and he
claimed that no outside artistic individual or work ever informed his own drawings or techniques. He
believed that the work came out of him as though god himself had commissioned him to do so (Rodari,
Georgel, Sante, & Prevost, 1998). Drawing was another medium for channeling his creative
imagination. Victor Hugo is still regarded as having one of the most complex and productive
imaginations of the nineteenth century (Rodari, Georgel, Sante, & Prevost, 1998). When we see a
decline in his quantity of Hugo's publications we can also see an inverse correlation to the production
The most prominent example would be how Frank developed the idea that architecture based on
historic styles was false and should be an expression of the Time and Place of Man(Pfeiffer, 2008).
This was the main driving force behind his rejection of the standards of the time, similar to the acts of
Victor Hugo. Wright believed that simply copying European Modernist principles and pasting them
into the landscape of America was not the way to produce anything. He was insistent on developing a
new American style of architecture that responded to what was happening in the environment in the
context of building.
The influencing of Frank Lloyd Wright by victor Hugo could have started with the beliefs do
Frank's Mother Anna. She hung drawings of cathedrals in his bedroom, one of which was undoubtedly
the cathedral of Notre Dame because of its widespread popularity. This could have subconsciously
opened him up to accept the beliefs and ideas that Victor Hugo addressed in his writings. Frank could
have easily made the connection back to his childhood when he first read Notre Dame de Paris. Hugo's
book on Notre Dame was without question, the piece of Hugo's work that had the most influence on
Wright's career as an architect. Wright also claims to have read the novels by Victor Hugo; Les
Miserables and Toilers of the Sea, and 93 and all would have made their way into Wright's way of
thinking. Frank had also listed specific collections of Hugo's poetry among his favorites; “The Year of
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
Notre Dame de Paris was the staring point for the development of Frank's beliefs on architecture
and design that remained constant throughout his long career. One of the most important of those he
learned was the importance of the relationship to the site in significant buildings. This practice of
always creating a building that related to a specific site and was integrated with the landscape was a
key element in Wright's practice of organic architecture. Wright abstracted the Gothic cathedral
portrayed in Victor Hugo's writing. It was when he did this and formed it into the cruciform prairie
house that he found the American in his domestic world and created his domestic cathedrals(Storrer,
2009). Wright was also able to extract the idea that all architecture with merit should be thoroughly
thought out down to the smallest detail. Wright had also claimed that Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de
Paris was truly one of the greatest books ever written on architecture(Storrer, 2009). He had also
claimed that Victor Hugo was one of his favorite authors not only because of is unique writing style,
but he also enjoyed Hugo's drawing style that he used in his illustrations for his books, especially
Frank Lloyd Wright had a high regard for all poets and their teachings through poetry. Wright
has stated that poetry is genius, “ We speak of genius as though it were the extension of some specialty
or other. No, the quality is not there. Find genius and you shall find a poet.”(Pfeiffer, 2008). In asking,
what is a poet, Wright found the answer from another famous writer, Walt Whitman; “ If he is a poet he
bestows on every object or quality its fit proportion- neither more nor less” (Pfeiffer, 2008). All of these
images make poets seem like the greatest architects anyone could imagine. Wright also made claim that
America has enough profit takers, garage mechanics, teachers of only what has been taught, etc. What
America really needs is poets, people of great vision wherever they stand and will give the people a
soul(Pfeiffer, 2008). Victor Hugo helped to shape the spirit of France, it is said that when he left the
country for exile to the channel Islands the very spirit of the country went with him and resided with
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
him in his island home until he returned in glory to the welcoming arms of Paris, there he would be
The influences of Victor Hugo can be seen directly in Frank Lloyd Wright's designs of
architecture. The plan of the Ward W. Willit's house illustrates the execution of the cruicform plan that
The spaces are arrayed around a central chimney. This cruciform plan allows a greater flow of space
and allows natural light to permeate into all of the spaces. Stephanie Bouchard illustrated the
advantages of the cruciform plan in her development of her thesis project in her analysis of the Willit's
The Willilt's house was the first building that Wright designed in the style that would become
his prairrie school. This new style had proved that he had finally achieved his goal of creating a new
abstraction in one of Frank Lloyd Wright's religious buildings. He designed the Unity Meeting House
in Madison Wisconsin. He starts out by using the cruciform plan but he stretches it in one direction to
make it the prominent axis of the building which is oriented for passive solar gains. The cross axis
creates the open space for gathering and the alter. As one approaches the alter form the rear isles the
site falls away and Wright accentuates this by mirroring the topography and sloping his roof upward as
the rest fo the building slopes down which greatly expands the space in the vertical sense and brings
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
your eye up toward the sky. The tall slenderness of the gothic cathedrals also achieved this affect to
draw the eye up towards the heavens, the building becoming the link between the earth and the sky.
The structure of the Unity Meeting House is also built using natural stone found locally in the region.
Frank Lloyd Wright and Victor Hugo lived in separate eras during different periods of time but
they faced similar problems in their lives. There are unique comparisons that can be made about these
two men and the way they lived their lives and conducted themselves, both in public and private
scenarios. Both men rose to fame quickly in their professional careers, each emerging onto the scene at
the age of twenty. Although Victor Hugo showed great talent earlier age, wining poetry competitions in
school, it was hard for Wright to show his talent until he became employed because he didn't have a
formal education as an architect. Both men where captivated and inspired by the artwork of the orient.
Victor Hugo had shown an affinity for the bright colors and simple geometric patterns early in his
drawing career(Thompson, 1970). Frank Lloyd Wright was very interested in collecting japanese
artworks.
The professional careers of both of these men were very long and prosperous. Each produced an
immense amount of written work and Frank Lloyd Wright also created buildings and Victor Hugo was
also a political figure and an artist. This vast amount of work was always driven by a desire for a new
project to begin. In the case of Victor Hugo this drive stemmed from a constant testing of his abilities
because he was very insecure about them. Hugo was constantly seeking reassurance in his work but
there was never enough to satisfy him, no matter how much he had done or achieved he still had to
push farther(Blackmore, & Blackmore, 2001). In their careers they were both seeking to bring about
social change. Hugo's methods were to write about the horrible social injustices that he witnessed.
Wright tried to make architecture not just an elitist fancy but a service for the average middle class
American. His Usoinan houses were designed in a vision to produce affordable housing of the highest
quality possible using passive techniques. Both individuals were intensely involved in controlling their
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
own destinies and image in the public eye. In the end there were two million people in attendance at
Victor Hugo's funeral and it was a huge event for the country of France. After looking into how he
influenced the genius that was Frank Lloyd Wright it's a possibility that Wright might have believed
that his funeral would be equally as large of an event for the American people.
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker
Bibliography
Blackmore, E.H., & Blackmore, A.M. (2001). Selected poems of victor hugo. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Thompson, C.W. (1970). Victor hugo and the graphic arts. Geneve-Paris: Librairie Droz.
Hugo, V.M. (1917). The Harvard classics shelf of fiction; vol. 12 Notre Dame de Paris. New York: PF
Collier and Son Co.
Brombert, V.H. (1984). Victor hugo and the visionary novel. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Schinz, A. (1908). Selected poems by victor hugo. Boston: D.C. Heath and Co.
Alofsin, A. (1993). Frank lloyd wright - the lost years 1910-1922. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Rodari, F., Georgel, P., Sante, L, & Prevost, M.L. (1998). Shadows of a hand: the drawings of victor
hugo. New York, London: The Drawing Center & Merrell Holberton Publishers.
Pfeiffer, B.B. (2008). Essential frank lloyd wright: critical writings on architecture. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Ward. W. Willits house - FLW. - Perspective drawing of Willits House, 1901. Copyright © the
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Ward w. willits house . (1997). Retrieved from
http://www.delmars.com/wright/flw8-3.htm
Storrer, W.A. (2009). The fellowship, the untold story of frank lloyd wright & the taliesin fellowship by
roger friedland & harold zellman. 2006; harper collins, new york. 690 pages. $34.95. isbn 13:
978-0-06-039388-5 or isbn 10: 0-06-039388-2 a review & critique by william allin storrer.
Retrieved from http://www.franklloydwrightinfo.com/Fellowship.html
Nicholas Klever Victor Hugo: An Architectural Writer Darryl Booker