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Copyright of Karbala Heritage: Quarterly Authorized Journal Specialized In Karbala Heritage is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The silence of oblivion which plagued Hugo throughout his lifetime was never more keenly felt than during his exile. However, it was this fear of nothingness which gave potent urgency to Hugo's public discourse and to his role as a spokesperson for les misérables. During his exile Hugo's voice also reached a distinct, though much less documented group of disfavoured people, namely the female victims of revolution, and leading French and international feminists. Through his eulogies to women like Louise Julien and George Sand, and his extensive epistolary correspondences with women, Hugo became a prominent figure in the feminist struggle both in France and throughout the world in the mid- nineteenth century. His woefully neglected public discourse on women's rights from this time reveals his support for such defining demands in nineteenth-century feminism as women's rights to universal suffrage, equal citizenship, and the participation of women in the future French republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]