Time is one of the most fundamental categories in narratology, linking the structure of narrative events to the experience of human existence. Traditional narratological approaches – most notably Gerard Genette’s triadic model of order, duration, and frequency – tend to conceptualize time as a measurable and quantitative entity. However, this study argues that in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, time operates on two distinct yet interrelated levels: the quantitative (Chronos) and the qualitative (Kairos).
Using a descriptive – analytical method and drawing upon both Genette’s structural theory and the semiotic theory of “body and soul”, this article explores how Hugo constructs a dual temporality that reflects both external historical continuity and internal existential transformation. The Chronos of the novel corresponds to the social and historical timeline – from the fall of Napoleon to the June Rebellion – while Kairos manifests as the lived, affective time of the protagonist’s moral and spiritual evolution.
Through an analysis of Jean Valjean’s transformation, the study demonstrates that Hugo transcends linear temporality and creates a narrative of salvation where time becomes the medium of inner growth and self-realization. By juxtaposing measurable and experiential dimensions of time, Les Misérables reveals a shift from narrative chronology to existential temporality, transforming the novel from a historical account into a meditation on the human condition.