Entre l’histoire et le mythe : la Cour des Miracles dans Notre-Dame de Paris de Victor Hugo et Le Parfum de Patrick Süskind

Abstract

BETWEEN HISTORY AND MYTH: THE COURT OF MIRACLES IN VICTOR HUGO’S THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE-DAME AND PATRICK SÜSKIND’S PERFUME

The Court of Miracles, slum districts of Paris, was the refuge for thieves, criminals, prostitutes and false beggars who faked injuries and diseases to solicit people for money. The phenomenon of this ‘society of outlaws’ inspired many authors and artists. In Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Patrick Süskind’s Perfume, the Court of Miracles becomes not only a geographical, historical and social reference, as required in historical novels, but also a mythical space, involving rich symbolism and fulfilling a special function in the two novels’ action.