The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in Classics Without All the Class

May 04, 2010 Gaijinmama rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, classics

Well, first and foremost, this is not a Disney movie!
The title is a misnomer. The original French title is Notre Dame de Paris and the cathedral itself is the star of this show. The unfortunate hunchback is only in maybe a third of the scenes.
I actually wept at the end of Hugo's Les Misérables ...the book not the musical...so I was expecting the same level of brilliance and connection. It didn't happen. This story was sad and violent and just so terribly unfair, but the characters did not touch ...more

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Sep 18, 2007 Russ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007, novel, historical

I didn't know what to expect from this book, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't know a single thing about the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, aside from a few basic facts. I knew it takes place in Paris. I knew part of the action, at least, was at the Notre Dame cathedral. I knew one of the main characters was Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer of the cathedral. I knew he was protecting a gypsy girl named Esmerelda. Other than those things, I knew not a single thing about the stor I didn't know what to expect from this book, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't know a single thing about the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, aside from a few basic facts. I knew it takes place in Paris. I knew part of the action, at least, was at the Notre Dame cathedral. I knew one of the main characters was Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer of the cathedral. I knew he was protecting a gypsy girl named Esmerelda. Other than those things, I knew not a single thing about the story.

I found this book very captivating to read. Victor Hugo plants the reader directly in the middle of Paris, France, in the 1400s. It was a less civilized time than today. The poor and outcast had few rights, and the powerful could do what they wanted with them. Superstitions were very powerful, and anyone accused of being a witch was immediately ostracized and in danger of being sentenced to death.

The title of the book was not originally the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The title in French is simply Notre Dame de Paris. Thus, the cathedral itself is the setting for all the action, and Quasimodo simply one of the characters.

Who, then, is the protagonist? I was rooting mostly for La Esmerelda herself. Most of the actions of the characters are based on things happening to her. She is the center of attention for everyone. Quasimodo is a grotesque representation of anyone considered an "outsider" in Paris society. Although Esmerelda herself is an outsider, a Gypsy, she treats Quasimodo with less than full respect and care. She feels sorry for him, but can't stand the sight of him. I think this shows that, at the time, Paris citizens were distrustful of each other. Anyone different is treated with caution.

The one chapter I found difficult was the chapter to do with King Louis XI. It just goes on far too long. I appreciate the satire, and laughed at the representation of the king, but it stopped the action cold at a time when the action was escalating. Hugo could have cut that chapter down by quite a few pages.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a good look at a different society and a different time in history. The descriptions of the places and characters were vivid and fascinating. ...more

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