The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Fingerprint

What he loved above all else in the maternal edifice, that which aroused his soul, and made it open its poor wings... was the bells. He loved them, fondled them, talked to them, understood them. On the night of the Feast of Fools, Quasimodo, the deformed hunchback bell ringer of Notre-Dame, tries to attack the beautiful and compassionate Gypsy street dancer, La Esmeralda, and is captured by the king's archers. At his trial the following day, when he is publicly flogged and begs for water, it is Esmeralda who comes forward and offers him a drink. Quasimodo falls for her. He decides to protect Esmeralda and devotes himself to her. But as Claude Frollo, the archdeacon of Notre-Dame, and Phoebus de Chateaupers, Captain of the king's archers are also battling for her affections, what happens when Esmeralda, who is completely in love with Captain Phoebus, is suspected as his murderer? Will Quasimodo be able to save her? First published in 1831, Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is immensely popular. This historical gothic novel continues to be adapted for stage and screen time and again||About the Author||Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was born in Besancon, Doubs, France. He spent his early years travelling with his family and grew up against the backdrop of intense political turmoil. Even at home, his parents had conflicting religious and political views. His interest in literature developed early and he wrote several poems and plays, winning numerous poetry contests. His first collection of poems, Odes et poesies diverses, came out in 1822. Han d'Islande (Hans of Iceland), his first novel, was published in 1823. Odes et Ballades (1826), his second poetry collection, established him as one of the greatest poets of all time and a master of lyric and elegy. Some of his widely recognized works include Le Dernier jour d'un condamne (The Last Day of a Condemned Man: 1829), Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame: 1831), Les Miserables (The Miserables: 1862), La Légende des siecles (The Legend of the Ages: 1859), and Les Travailleurs de la Mer (Toilers of the Sea: 1866)