![]() Contrary to the English title of the book (which, in fact, Hugo disliked preferring his own, more accurate french title, Notre Dame de Paris) this book is not just about an ugly hunchback that stalks the dark towers of Notre Dame. Hugo loved architecture and the Cathedral, with a result that it was restored soon after the book was published. The Hunchback of Notre Dame Introduction First published in 1831. In Hugo’s time, the cathedral had been substantially damaged (windows, statutes, art, treasure) in the iconoclastic upheaval of the French revolutionary era and subsequent use for decades as a food warehouse. The book is set in the post-construction, pre-Protestant 1400s, the height of the Cathedral’s condition and of the Catholic Church in France. ![]() Hugo visited the Cathedral every day while writing this, in a 6 month final rush because he'd missed the publication deadline. Hugo's book title was simply the name of the Cathedral, "Notre Dame de Paris", without reference to a Hunchback, which was only added to the English translation. ![]() It centers on the Cathedral, not on Quasimodo per se. ![]() If you are an aficionado of Parisian architectural history or the various means by which privileged classes held rights to various sources of income, this is a treasure trove. Along with detailed character development, Hugo develops subthemes (anti-cleric, anti-judiciary, anti-aristocratic, anti-xenophobic) throughout the text. This is NOT the highly-abridged plotline encapsulated in the movies. ![]() Very well read indeed by a talented and well-qualified "solo" reader.īe prepared to appreciate, and endure, the many themes in this very long book (1200 English pages, 1900 French pages). ![]()
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