The Hunchback of Notre Dame (original French title, Notre-Dame de Paris) is an 1831 French novel written by Victor Hugo. It is set in 1482 in Paris, in and around the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. The book tells the story of a poor Gypsy girl (La Esmerelda) and a misshapen bell-ringer (Quasimodo) who are both victimized by a corrupt priest (Claude Frollo).
Victor Hugo was one day exploring Notre Dame Cathedral, when in one of the bell towers he discovered the Greek word "ANAГKH" carved into the stone wall. This word means "need/necessity". Hugo became curious about who had carved this word and why. Unable to find any clues to the inscriber, he imagined a lone figure, never seen by anyone, living in the bell tower and the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame began to form in his mind. Hugo began to write Hunchback in 1829.
|
Quasimodo is the hunchback of Notre Dame. He lives in the bell tower of Notre Dame and rings the bells, which have made him become deaf. He discovers that he is related to the Gypsies. When a local group of gypsies arrive in Paris he meets and instantly falls in love with a beautiful gypsy girl call Esmerelda. When he was a hideous and abandoned baby, he was taken in by the priest Claude Frollo. Quasimodo's lives in and must never leave the confines of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The name Quasimodo means ‘Half made’. |
|
|
Notre Dame de Paris, known simply as Notre Dame in English, is a Gothic Cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, with its main entrance to the west. It is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. Notre Dame translates as "Our Lady" from French. |
|
