Hello everyone! Welcome or welcome back to my blog. Today, I am going to review a true classic: Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It is probably the only book with a tragic ending which I like, but then again, it really is good. Without further ado, let us start the review. But first, a little information about the author:
About the Author:
Victor Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a poet, novelist, and dramatist who was the most important of the French Romantic writers. Though he studied law between 1815 and 1818, he never committed himself to legal practice and ventured into literature. He founded the Conservateur Litteraire, a journal in which he published his own poetry, and the work of his friends. He published his first book of poetry, Odes et poesies diverses in 1821. His first novel was published in 1823, followed by a number of plays. Hugo served on several committees which looked after the preservation of France’s old buildings. Eventually he went on to write books dealing with political issues.
In 1841, he was elected to the French Academy and nominated for the Chamber of Peers. But, after his children’s deaths, he was deeply affected and retired for some time. In 1831, he published his most notable novel, Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). He started write a novel, Les Miserables in 1843, which was finally published in 1862. The novel became an immediate success and remains one of the best known works of 19th century literature. Victor Hugo died in Paris, where he received a hero’s funeral.
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame:
Before I begin, let me tell you, that the following review may seem a little confusing, or vague. In my defense, it is just the complexity of the story that makes it so. There are a lot of characters, each one playing an important part. But the majority of the story revolves around the following three. They are Quasimodo, the deformed, hunchbacked bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, a very beautiful gypsy called Esmeralda, and Claude Frollo, who is the archdeacon, Quasimodo’s foster father, and obsessed about Esmeralda.
Quasimodo is deaf, and hideously deformed. He lives in the cathedral like a recluse, along with the two things he loves the most: his foster father, and the cathedral bells. He is a very gentle and considerate person, but people are still afraid of him, and therefore he has confined himself in Notre-Dame. One day, someone tries to kidnap Esmeralda, but a Captain Phoebus recues her. She falls madly in love with him, whereas he doesn’t. Claude Frollo becomes jealous of Phoebus, and determines that if he cannot have Esmeralda, no one can.
Actually, Claude Frollo was a very religious person, and had vowed never to marry. But when he saw Esmeralda, he found himself falling in love with her. To prevent this, he passed rules which banned women from entering the cathedral, and gypsies from performing in front of it. But Esmeralda did not pay heed to these and continued performing at her usual spots. Claude Frollo then even tried kidnapping her, but his plan was foiled by Captain Phoebus. It was then that he decided that he would break his vow and move heaven and earth to marry her. Either that, or he would make sure that no one else could marry Esmeralda. Claude Frollo, consumed by jealousy, attacked Captain Phoebus when he was with Esmeralda, and fled. The court accused Esmeralda of the attack and convicted her.
Claude Frollo visited her in her cell and proposed marriage to her in return for her freedom, but she refused, as she knew it was him who had attacked Phoebus. However, Quasimodo had started to love her. On the way to the gallows, he rescued her and took her into the cathedral, shouting the word ‘sanctuary’. This meant that no soldier could enter the cathedral and arrest Esmeralda. There, he began to take care of her. He was aware that she was afraid of his form and therefore took care not to show his face whenever he entered her room with provisions. Even at night, he would quietly sleep outside her bedroom door, protecting her. But Claude Frollo came to know that a group of vagabonds would attack the cathedral and hatched a plan to rescue Esmeralda.
While Quasimodo was away, he took Esmeralda away from the cathedral and once again tried to woo her, but she refused. She knew that Phoebus had recovered, and had married another woman, but she still loved him. Then Claude Frollo, in his anger, decided that he would hand her over to the soldiers. The cathedral, on the other hand, was attacked and the king gave orders for Esmeralda’s execution. Therefore, the soldiers soon found her and took her to the gallows. From the top of Notre-Dame, Quasimodo saw her hang and beside him, Claude Frollo was laughing. In anger, he pushed Claude Frollo over the parapet of the cathedral, killing him.
The end of the story is as beautiful as it is tragic, and it would not do the story justice if I were to describe it here. In The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo has created a complex, but heart-rendering web of love, hate, treachery, despair and obsession. And in the center of it all, stands the silent, unmovable spectator: the cathedral of Notre-Dame.
Outro:
So, that is it for today, guys. I hope you liked the review. If you did, I am sure you will love the book just as much. Stay tuned for more such book reviews and posts, which I put up on a weekly frequency. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my blog. Happy reading!