Selected Masterpieces of World Literature — The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Author: Victor Hugo (France) translated by He Zhangfa
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-08-01
Features: The learned and wise priest Frollo adopts a four-year-old orphan, Quasimodo, who is blind, hunchbacked, and lame, at the age of twenty. The orphan later becomes the bell ringer of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, combining the father-son relationship with that of master and servant. The appearance of the beautiful and innocent Gypsy girl Esmeralda gradually transforms the master-servant conflict into a spiritual and physical one. The temptation of lust tears off the veil of hypocrisy, and the priest actually abducts Esmeralda at night. The captain who rescues her falls in love with her, but the priest again wields his sword against this passionate love. In the end, Esmeralda meets a tragic end, and Quasimodo mysteriously disappears. A pair of embracing skulls is discovered—one belonging to Esmeralda, the other with a curved spine and legs of unequal length.
Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was the leader of French Romantic literature in the 19th century. His works often advocate humanism, with notable including Les Misérables and The Man with the Iron Face.