The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Summary

The deformed bell ringer Quasimodo lives in the towers of Notre Dame cathedral and falls into the orbit of the beautiful street dancer Esmeralda, who is also pursued by the corrupt priest Frollo. Hugo builds the medieval city of Paris itself into a character, using the cathedral as a symbol of both refuge and confinement. The novel's sympathy for its outcasts and its vivid historical setting helped save the real Notre Dame from demolition by reviving public interest in Gothic architecture.