In her introduction to Ninety-Three, Ayn Rand called Victor Hugo the greatest novelist in world literature. And yet, she said, his works have been all but forgotten, lying buried under the esthetic rubble of our day. In this course, we will unearth the literary treasure Ninety-Three, and through weekly discussions of a few chapters at a time, we will come to a deep understanding of Hugo’s monumental novel. In the process, we will practice – and conceptualize – an approach to reading that will help you mine the value of every masterpiece of literature.July – September 2023