The pacing of the book moves unevenly, most of the novel takes place over a period of six month, however the final chapters shoot forward a year and a half or two years. The book’s most frustrating point, and the one which discourages many seasoned readers, is the pages upon pages of descriptive images, whether the streets of Paris down to the cracks (it seems) in the sidewalks or the Notre Dame Cathedral, brick-by-brick almost. The story is peppered with a few twists, some humor (as much as will allow in the brooding story arc) with sarcasm and mockery galore.Īn illustration from page 219 in book 4 of the 1889 edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. desire and Esmeralda’s unwillingness to accept a revolting creature for his good heart are only a two examples of what makes this story brilliant. The relationships of the characters with themselves are also part of this complex plot. The dark, brooding and punishing interactions between the complex characters are a mastery of storytelling. Artist unknown.Īppears in “Victor Hugo and His Time” by Alfred Barbou. Surprisingly, Quasimodo has a small role in the book which was originally titled “ Notre-Dame de Paris” or “ Our Lady of Paris” – a much more appropriate, yet less imaginative title.Īn Illustration for Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo. Claude Frollo, archdeacon of Notre Dame, La Esmeralda, an enchanting gypsy, and Quasimodo, the disfigured bell ringer as well as Frollo’s adopted son.

The book tells the stories of three tragic and lonely figures. It is filled with the loneliness of 15th Century Paris, its dark corridors, streets and stench. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo is a desperate and quite depressing novel. My rating for The Hunchback of Notre Dame – 4īuy The Hunchback of Notre Dame from * Publisher ‏ : ‎ Barnes & Noble Classics.The novel became a classic and the Hunchback became a tragic hero as well as a cultural icon.

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo (1802-1885 | Biography & Works) is a fictional story set in Paris, France and published in 1831.

Hunchback de notre dame