by Victor Hugo
translated by Robert Lowell

Napoleon Bonaparte
Hugo lived during the era of Napoleon Bonaparte and wrote about the French emperor in the narrative poem The Expiation. Learn about the life and legacy of Napoleon at this site. Then create a time line of the major events in Napoleon's life.

1812: Napoleon’s March to Russia
"Russia 1812" is about Napoleon's infamous retreat from Moscow. This site features paintings of the Moscow engagement and subsequent retreat. Click on March to Moscow to view the images. Then go to March step by step and Moscow to read about the retreat. Imagine that you are a journalist and write a newspaper report on the retreat.

Napoleon's Invasion of Russia: 1812
Now that you've seen images of the retreat from Moscow, visit this site to see an illustrated version of the ill-fated journey. Click on the map of his trail to read the Prelude and Denouement of his journey. What is your opinion of Napoleon's strategy? Prelude and Denouement are literary terms; how was Napoleon's invasion of Russia similar to a literary work?