"The
true division of humanity is this: the luminous and the dark.
To diminish
the number of the dark, to increase the number of the luminous,
behold the aim.
This is
why we cry: education, knowledge! to learn to read is to kindle
a fire...."
-Victor Hugo, Les Miserables (854)
Hugo's novel expresses
that virtue and true progress come from the exposure to 'light,'
meaning education. He states that ignorance is the greatest
vice because it keeps people from recognizing and caring for the
needs of others in a responsible way.
This portion of the web
site focuses on the print industry of Paris. I will argue that the
development of a "print capital" facilitated the stages
of France's growth during the 18th and 19th centuries by becoming
a popular and accessible way to bring 'light' to the people, both
sufferers and enforcers of economic prejudice (Roche,
661).
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