by Victor Hugo
--Victor Hugo and the Visionary Novel (1984)
Questions
1. Through the character of Pierre Gringoire, how does Hugo represent the figure of the writer/artist? What kinds of conclusions can we draw from this vision?
2. Who is the villain of the novel? Claude Frollo? Phoebus de Chateaupers? The king, Louis XI? What does this ambiguity suggest?
3. In the French original, the titular hero (so to speak) of this novel is the cathedral of Notre-Dame, not the "hunchback." Which title-Notre-Dame de Paris or the title given in the English translation, The Hunchback of Notre Dame-- more accurately names the novel's thematic core?
4. In the manifesto-like preface to his play Cromwell, Hugo called for a new aesthetic that brought together the grotesque and the sublime. Clearly, The Hunchback is informed by this aesthetic. Is the result to be admired or deplored? What, for example, is the effect on characterization?
5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been popular for roughly 170 years. It has generated many movies, musicals, plays, and a library of commentary. How would you explain this enduring popularity?
For Further Reading
Biography and General Interest
Bloom, Harold, ed. Victor Hugo. Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House, 1988.
Frey, John Andrew. A Victor Hugo Encyclopedia. Westport, CT, and London: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Georgel, Pierre. Drawings by Victor Hugo: Catalogue. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1974.
Peyre, Henri. Victor Hugo: Philosophy and Poetry. Translated by Roda P. Roberts. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1980.
Porter, Laurence. Victor Hugo. Twayne's World Authors Series, no. 883. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1999.
Robb, Graham. Victor Hugo: A Biography. New York and London: W. W. Norton, 1998.
Ward, Patricia. The Medievalism of Victor Hugo. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1975.
Criticism
Brombert, Victor. Victor Hugo and the Visionary Novel. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1984.
Grant, Richard B. The Perilous Quest: Image, Myth, and Prophecy in the Narratives of Victor Hugo. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1968.
Grossman, Kathryn M. The Early Novels of Victor Hugo: Towards a Poetics of Hannony. Geneva: Librairie Droz, 1986.
Works Cited in the Introduction
Hugo, Victor. Oeuvres completes. 18 vols. Edited by Jean Massin. Paris: Le Club francais du livre, 1967-1970.
a Greek word that signifies "fate."
b The king's eldest son; used as a title from 1349 to 1830.
c Reference to Henri Sauval, a seventeenth-century historian whose study Histoire et recherches des antiquites de la ville de Paris (Antiquities of Paris) Hugo draws upon frequently in the novel for descriptions of the period depicted.
d Reference to Theophile de Viau (1590-1626), poet who was imprisoned with Ravaillac.
e Horned and hairy (Latin).
f Thibaut the gamester (Latin).
g Thibaut of the dice (Latin).
h Here are the Saturnalian nuts that we send thee (Latin).
i Lined with gray fur (Latin).
j Four farthings--or a fart (Latin).
k Behind the rider sits black worry (Latin; from Roman lyric poet Horace [65-8 B.C.], Odes, book 3, ode 1).
l Never let a god intervene (Latin; from Horace, Ars Poetica, c. 13 B.C.).
m Hail Jupiter! Citizens, applaud! (Latin).
n The populace's shout of joy in the Middle Ages.
o Cordial made from wine and flavored with spices.
p A play on words; "dolphin," the ocean-dwelling, whale-like mammal, and "dauphin," a French king's eldest son, are spelled identically in French as dauphin.
q Let us drink like popes (Latin).
r Company of clerks of the Parliament of Paris.
s Cassock full of wine! (Latin).
t In the original French, gant, meaning glove, is used as a play on words with the name of the Belgian city of Ghent.
u Pearls before swine (Latin).
v Swine before a pearl (Latin); a pun on the name Margaret, which means "pearl."
w A kiss brings pain (Spanish).
x Nun of the Order of the "Sack," a name derived from the sack-like garment members of this group wore.
y A chest richly decorated They found in a well, And in it new banners / With figures most terrifying (Spanish).
z Arab horsemen they are / Looking like statues, With swords, and over their shoulders Crossbows that shoot well (Spanish).
aa Men who feigned insanity.
ab The Realm of Gamblers.
ac Reference to "The Hare and the Frogs," a fable by Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695).
ad Every way, highway, and byway (Latin).
ae Hail, star of the sea! (Latin).
af Charity, kind sir! Charity! (Italian).
ag Kind sir, something with which to buy a piece of bread! (Spanish).
ah Charity! (Latin).
ai Where do you go, man? (Spanish).
aj Take off your hat, man! (Spanish).
ak Slang for King of the Beggars.
al King of the Gypsies.
am Leader of the Gamblers.
an Slang term signifying "Men of Slang."
ao All things are included in philosophy, all men in the philosopher (Latin).
ap Show one's skill at picking pockets.
aq When the bright-hued birds are quiet, / And the earth-(Spanish).
ar Reference to the giant who is the hero of a 1752 story of the same name by Voltaire (pen name of Francois Marie Arouet, 1694-1778).
as Author's note: [from Histoire Gallicane] (Gallican History), book ii, period ii, fo. 130, p. 1, by Robert Cenalis.
at Author's note: This is also known, according to situation, race, or style, as Lombard, Saxon, or Byzantine; four sister and parallel architectures, each having its own peculiar characteristics, but all springing from the same principle: the circular arch. "Facies non omnibus una / non diversa tamen, qualem," etc. ["Appearance not the same for all, not different however, such"; Latin, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, book 2, lines 13-14].
au Author's note: This part of the spire, which was not made of timber, was destroyed by lightning in 1823.
av "The dam damning Paris set Paris free" (French).
aw Stomping ground of Parisian students, the present Faubourg Saint-Germain.
ax Fidelity to kings, though broken at times by revolts, has procured many privileges for citizens (Latin).
ay Place of execution and/or burial of the executed that will figure prominently in the outcome of the novel.
az Reference to Pierre Mignard (1610-1695), a well-known French painter and contemporary of the comic dramatist Moliere (1622-1673).
ba Author's note added to the fifth edition of May 1831: It is with grief mingled with indignation that we hear that there is a project to enlarge, alter, reconstruct--that is, to destroy--this beautiful palace. Modern architects are too clumsy to touch the delicate work of the Renaissance. We still hope that they dare not attempt the task. Besides, the demolition of the Tuileries now would be not only a brutal deed at which a drunken vandal might blush, it would be an act of treason. The Tuileries is not just an artistic masterpiece of the sixteenth century, it is a page in the history of the nineteenth century. This palace no longer belongs to the king, but to the people. Let us leave it as it is. The French revolution has twice marked its brow. In one facade are the bullets of August 10; in the other, the bullets of July 29. It is sacred.
bb From the period of the French Revolution, when imitation of antiquity was in vogue.
bc Deal out blows and pull out hair (Latin).
bd Sluggard's altar (Latin).
be The guardian of a monstrous herd, and himself more monstrous (Latin).
bf A sturdy boy is a naughty boy (Latin).
bg Title given to a certain level of priesthood, roughly equivalent to "Reverend."
bh
A brawl, resulting directly from too liberal potations (Latin).
bi A street of ill-fame, known for its gambling houses.
bj Where the world comes to an end (Latin).
bk Lawful (Latin).
bl Unlawful (Latin).
bm Author's note: Hugo II of Bisuncio, 1326-1332.
bn Certain ladies of a high degree may not be turned away without offense (Latin).
bo Slang term for foot soldiers.
bp Ho! Ho! Claude with the cripple! (Latin).
bq The The Abbot of Saint-Martin (Latin).
br Of Predestination and Free Will (Latin); Honorius of Autun was a theologian and philosopher who flourished in the first half of the twelfth century.
bs A pun on the word abricotier, French for "apricot tree."
bt Name for a gossip.
bu Writing from right to left and back again from left to right.
bv The Abbot of Saint-Martin, that is to say the King of France, is canon, according to custom, and has the small benefice which Saint-Venantis had, and shall sit in the seat of the treasurer (Latin).
bw Author's note: This comet, for deliverance from which Pope Calixtus, uncle to Borgia, ordered a public prayer, is the same that reappeared in 1835.
bx A dignity to which is attached no little power in dealing with public safety, together with many prerogatives and rights (Latin).
by Author's note: Crown accounts, 1383.
bz Be silent and hope (Latin).
ca A strong shield is the safety of the leaders (Latin).
cb It is yours (Latin).
cc Pray, thou (Latin).
cd Song blossom.
ce Daisy.
cf A deaf man is absurd (Latin).
cg Reference to Guillaume de Salluste du Bartas (1544-1590), popular French poet of the sixteenth century.
ch A man and a woman alone together do not think about paternosters (Latin); the Lord's Prayer is also known as the Pater Noster (Our Father).
ci Expressions such as "how" and "verily" (Latin).
cj Truly these cookshops are wonderful places! (Spanish).
ck I breathe; I hope (Latin).
cl Whence thence? (Latin). Man is a monster to men (Latin). The stars, a fortress, the name, a wonder (Latin). A great book, great evil (Greek). Dare to be wise (Latin). [The spirit] blows where it wants (Latin).
cm Account the Lord of heaven thy ruler upon earth (Latin).
cn They tore the robe (Latin).
co It is in Greek, it is not read (Latin).
cp The surnames signify Pierre as "the Slaughterer" and Baptiste as "the Rook."
cq He who will not work shall not eat (Latin).
cr Against goads, hot blades, torture, shackles, / straps, chains, dungeons, iron collars (Latin).
cs Bound naked, you weigh a hundred pounds when you are hung up by the feet (Latin).
ct A witch or ghost! (Latin).
cu Dialogues upon the Powers and Works of Demons (Latin); written by Byzantine political figure and scholar Michel Psellus (1018-1078).
cv There is no place without its genius (Latin).
cw By preserving it under a special form the soul is saved (Latin).
cx He is unworthy who dwelleth among evil words (Latin).
cy Concerning Regular and Irregular Figures (Latin).
cz Therefore, Gentlemen, the witchcraft being proved and the crime made manifest, as likewise the criminal intention, in the name of the holy church of Notre-Dame de Paris, which is seized of the right of all manner of justice high and low, within this inviolate island of the city, we declare by the tenor of these presents that we require, firstly, a pecuniary compensation; secondly, penance before the great portal of the cathedral church of Notre-Dame; thirdly, a sentence, by the virtue of which this witch, with her goat, shall either in the public square, commonly called the Place de Greve, or in the island stretching out into the Seine, adjacent to the royal gardens, be executed! (Latin).
da Oh, the monk's Latin! (Latin).
db Term signifying "I say no!"
dc Abandon all hope (Italian); this is the inscription on the doors to Hell in The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321).
dd Prison-tomb in which the prisoner is shut up for life.
de I shall not fear though thousands compass me about; arise, Lord, and save me! Save me, O Lord, for the waters have overwhelmed my very soul. I am caught in deep mire, and my goods are gone from me (Latin).
df Whoso heareth my words, and believeth in Him that sent me, He shall have everlasting life, and does not come to judgment, but passes from death to life (Latin).
dg I called from the deep and Thou heardest my voice.
Thou did plunge me into the deep, in the heart of the sea, and the floods surrounded me (Latin).
dh Go, wavering soul! And may God be merciful unto thee! (Latin).
di All thy whirlpools, O Lord, and all Thy waves, have gone over me! (Latin).
dj Because to the monks of Saint-Germain this meadow was a hydra ever raising its head anew in the brawls of the clerks (Latin).
dk Fortunate old man! (Latin).
dl The Stone Cup (Latin); Baudry-le-Rouge and The Stone Cup are fictional.
dm Food, drink, sleep, love--all in moderation (Latin).
dn The ravings of the people, popular fury! (Latin).
do What canticles! What instruments! What songs! What melodies are eternally sung here! The instruments of hymns, the soft melody of angels, the admirable canticles of canticles resonate softly, like honey (Latin).
dp It is not given to everyone to have a nose (Latin).
dq Wine is a thing of luxury, drunkenness of tumult (Latin).
dr To abstain from wine also makes men wise! (Latin).
ds The dagger in the pocket (thieves' slang).
dt A play on words, as l'assommeur means "he who knocks down."
du Armed with ten spurs (Greek).
dv No footman, no butler (Latin).
dw Pulse rapid, full, intermittent, irregular (Latin).
dx Epithet meaning "the wicked one."
dy He oppressed the people of Turin and was oppressed by them (Latin).
dz As the bees do geometry (Latin).
ea Against Avarice (Latin); this satirical work was written in the fourth century by Salvien of Cologne, a priest.
eb The beautiful creature clad in white (Italian). In the second section, entitled "Purgatory," of Dante's Divine Comedy, the angel of humility, described this way, serves as one of the poet's guides.
ec The wheel turns, why does a jug come out? (Latin).
ed General who protected the Chateau de Vincennes both at the end of the First Empire (1814-1815) and during the uprising of 1830.
