Notre Dame de Paris — Required Reading Series for the New Curriculum of Chinese Language

Author: Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel with epic significance, featuring a tragic and moving story. Set in 15th-century Paris under the rule of Louis XI, the Bohemian girl Esmeralda earns a living by performing with a trained lamb on the streets of Paris. The Archdeacon of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Claude Frollo, becomes infatuated with her and orders the deformed bell ringer Quasimodo to kidnap her. She is rescued by the Captain of the Archers, Phoebus. Esmeralda falls in love with this frivolous officer, which fuels Claude's greater jealousy. During an encounter between the two lovers, Claude wounds Phoebus and frames the girl. Esmeralda is sentenced to death, but on the day of her execution, Quasimodo rescues her from the scaffold and takes her to the top of Notre-Dame Cathedral for sanctuary, caring for her with love and humility. At this time, the Church ignites a religious fervor, branding the Bohemian girl as a witch. The court decides to arrest her despite sanctuary rights. The beggars and outcasts of Paris, upon hearing the news, storm Notre-Dame Cathedral to rescue the girl. Amid the chaos, Claude takes advantage to force Esmeralda to comply, but she refuses, and he hands her over to the authorities for execution. Quasimodo, robbed of his idol, becomes furious and pushes the foster father, the Archdeacon, off the tower to his death. He then retreats to the cemetery, dying beside Esmeralda.