World Youth Literature Classics Collection -- Notre-Dame de Paris: World Youth Literature Classics Collection

Author: Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-15
Features: World Youth Literature Classics Collection. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a milestone in Hugo's novel writing. The story takes place in 15th-century Paris under the rule of Louis XI. Esmeralda, a beautiful and innocent Gypsy girl, is a wandering artist. The Archdeacon Claude Frollo becomes obsessed with her and orders his adopted son, the deformed bell ringer Quasimodo, to abduct her. Esmeralda is rescued by Captain Phoebus, the King's guard, and soon falls in love with this frivolous and faithless officer. While the couple is having a secret rendezvous, Frollo stabs Phoebus and frames Esmeralda for the crime. Esmeralda is sentenced to death by hanging. Quasimodo, who also harbors affection for her, rescues her from the scaffold and hides her in Notre-Dame Cathedral as a refugee. The beggars and outcasts of Paris's lower society storm the Cathedral to save Esmeralda. The King sends Phoebus to lead troops to suppress the uprising. In the chaos, Frollo abducts Esmeralda, forcing her to succumb to his lust. After she resists, he hands her over to the pursuing guards and watches with a cruel smile as she is hanged from the bell tower. In despair, Quasimodo realizes Frollo's monstrous nature and throws him from the rooftop, killing him instantly. Quasimodo then takes his own life, embracing Esmeralda's body. This novel is celebrated as a masterpiece of Romanticism for its gripping storyline, vivid medieval social scenes, and strikingly exaggerated and contrasting characters.