French Society in 1830

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“Liberty Leading the People” by Eugene Delacroix

History of Painting

Painted in 1830 by Eugene Delacroix. Eugene Delacroix was famous for capturing

moments of extreme emotion in his paintings. “Liberty Leading the People,” is symbolic to the

French Revolution in 1830. Delacroix created this painting in the aftermath

of Paris' “Three Glorious Days,” which occurred on July 27-29, 1830. During these days a widespread revolt overthrew the regime of Charles X.

French Revolution of 1830

Aslo referred as the July Revolution because it occurred on July 27-29.

The reason for the rebellion is because Charles X planned to reinstate systems that were prior to the French Revolution in 1789. After he pledged one billion francs to the aristocracy in reparations for property loss during the revolution in 1789, he abolished free press and the legislature, as well as restricting suffrage rights. Three days after the fighting broke out.

“Liberty Leading the People,” inspired me to analyze Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This novel does a fantastic job describing the time period and one of the themes is the long-term

effects of the French Revolution on french society.

About the Author Victor Hugo was born on 1802 in Besancon,

France. The French Revolution in 1830 greatly inspired

Hugo's writing and he began producing a steady stream of work.

He loved politics and was elected to France's National Assembly.

Hugo's politics became very leftist and he was forced to flee France in 1851, but he returned in 1870 as a national hero.

His political concerns dominate much of his writing such as Les Miserables, which provides a detailed vision of French society during this time.

Summary Convict Jean Valjean is released from prison

after serving 19 years for stealing bread. Jean Valjean promises to become an honest

man and moves to Montreuil, where he later owns a factory and becomes the mayor. He even changed his name so no one would know who he was.

A woman named Fantine finds work at Valjean's factory, but is fired because she has a daughter out of wedlock.

Fantine resorts to prostitution so she can pay the family taking care of her daughter, Cosette.

Javert, the police chief of the town, arrests Fantine, but Valjean intervenes and promises to take care of Fantine and Cosette.

After Fantine dies Jean Valjean goes after Cosette and they flee from Javert.

Years later Cosette falls in love with a boy who is leading an uprising. During the uprising they capture Javert and Valjean volunteers to execute him, but ends up letting him go.

Javert goes on the hunt for Valjean and when he catches up to him, Javert realizes what he is doing is wrong and kills himself.

In the end Cosette gets married to Marius and Valjean lives a normal life without hiding from the police and dies peacefully.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oni72F17xaw

Benford, Susan. "Famous Paintings Reviewed." Famous Paintings: Liberty Leading the People, 1830.

Masterpiece Cards, 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012 In this article, Susan Benford gave a lot of

information about the painting, “Liberty Leading the People,” and the French Revolution in 1830. She also gave information of the artist Eugene Delacroix, such that he liked to paint things that had a lot of emotion.Art Game Board Game. Prestel. 2003

This is where I got my picture that inspired me. The

picture that I chose was, “Liberty Leading the People,” by Eugene Delacroix.

Annotated Bibliography

Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Carleton, 1862. Print. A convist is released from jail and eventually becomes an honest man. Unfortunately his past is still haunting him and he is forced to hide from the police. After adopting a girl he tries his best to raise he right and stay safe. In the end his daughter gets married and he lives a normal life without having to hide.Sparknotes. "Les Misérables." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.

On this website I learned a great amount of things about Victor Hugo. The Revolution in 1830 inspired him greatly and help him produce a steady stream of work. He loved politics and his political concerns dominated much of his writing.