Un livre vivant

Abstract

This thesis studies the use of the Gothic cathedral in nineteenth century French literature. By examining Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo and La Cathédrale by Joris-Karl Huysmans from different halves of the century, it will establish the changes in the image of the cathedral across the century, specifically on the issues of the cathedral as text and the death of the cathedral. Finally, it will consider the writings of Marcel Proust at the beginning of the twentieth century to establish the end-point of this progression. The role of religion and politics will be considered in the lives of each author and his time period. The thesis will show that the later authors allowed more possibility for life in the cathedral in the modern age and translated its message into printed text to keep it alive.