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A review by alcibiades13
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
5.0
Are you ready to step into the mesmerizing world of Victor Hugo? - To navigate through the labyrinth of Paris' streets, enter the heart of Notre Dame, and unravel the complex characters within?
The book is as dense and rich in content as it can possibly be. It is so detailed that you will gain a complete impression of French society, art, and architecture in the 15th century.
In its descriptions of society of that time, it sometimes goes on tangents that have little connection to the main plot. It can be frustrating on one hand, but on the other, all these pieces of information are valuable; a complete picture is painted. For example, two consecutive chapters describe first the cathedral and then the city of Paris in detail, spanning over 50 pages. Such parts can be skimmed, and the flow of the main story won't be lost.
The book is written with the intention to try to preserve art, architecture, everything that is valuable, or to depict its decline. It likely had an impact on preserving the cathedral to this day. The story takes place during the period when the Gothic style is disappearing, replaced by the Renaissance. Through architecture, people expressed themselves; it was a reflection of societal consciousness ("architecture is the precursor to the book" and "printing will kill architecture" are motives explored in one of the chapters). Then everything began to crumble, the old and valuable replaced by the new and uninspired. In a way, Hugo foresaw the fall of architecture to the state we have today.
There are several characters who can be considered protagonists, depending on the perspective. And they are all corrupt, gullible, or in another way imperfect. It's an honest critique of society. At some point, you get the impression that the cathedral and Paris are also among the characters.
You've probably seen Disney's movie; the book also has elements of fairy tale, but much darker, the plot is very entertaining. There is also a lot of dark humor. Priests, judges, officials, poets, philosophers, beggars, and robbers are all mocked, portrayed grotesquely to intensify the impression.
The main problem lies in fact that it's so rich in meaningful content- it can be overwhelming and requires breaks and reflections, which makes it a pretty slow read, especially in the beginning. Some parts span too long and some descriptions are probably not necessary. It's intellectual, full of lucid expressions, rich language, Latin phrases, very skillfully written.
At first glance, it's a fairy tale, a comical picture of the conditions at that time. On the other hand, it's a critique of society, an essay on art, full of beautiful, philosophical thoughts.
I dare not to recommend something this grandiose as it requires the reader to put in effort and exercise his patience sometimes. But if it intrigues you, I think you won't regret picking it up. 4.5/5.
The book is as dense and rich in content as it can possibly be. It is so detailed that you will gain a complete impression of French society, art, and architecture in the 15th century.
In its descriptions of society of that time, it sometimes goes on tangents that have little connection to the main plot. It can be frustrating on one hand, but on the other, all these pieces of information are valuable; a complete picture is painted. For example, two consecutive chapters describe first the cathedral and then the city of Paris in detail, spanning over 50 pages. Such parts can be skimmed, and the flow of the main story won't be lost.
The book is written with the intention to try to preserve art, architecture, everything that is valuable, or to depict its decline. It likely had an impact on preserving the cathedral to this day. The story takes place during the period when the Gothic style is disappearing, replaced by the Renaissance. Through architecture, people expressed themselves; it was a reflection of societal consciousness ("architecture is the precursor to the book" and "printing will kill architecture" are motives explored in one of the chapters). Then everything began to crumble, the old and valuable replaced by the new and uninspired. In a way, Hugo foresaw the fall of architecture to the state we have today.
“The greatest products of architecture are less the works of individuals than of society; rather the offspring of a nation's effort, than the inspired flash of a man of genius...”
There are several characters who can be considered protagonists, depending on the perspective. And they are all corrupt, gullible, or in another way imperfect. It's an honest critique of society. At some point, you get the impression that the cathedral and Paris are also among the characters.
You've probably seen Disney's movie; the book also has elements of fairy tale, but much darker, the plot is very entertaining. There is also a lot of dark humor. Priests, judges, officials, poets, philosophers, beggars, and robbers are all mocked, portrayed grotesquely to intensify the impression.
“Excess of grief, like excess of joy is a violent thing which lasts but a short time. The heart of man cannot remain long in one extremity.”
The main problem lies in fact that it's so rich in meaningful content- it can be overwhelming and requires breaks and reflections, which makes it a pretty slow read, especially in the beginning. Some parts span too long and some descriptions are probably not necessary. It's intellectual, full of lucid expressions, rich language, Latin phrases, very skillfully written.
At first glance, it's a fairy tale, a comical picture of the conditions at that time. On the other hand, it's a critique of society, an essay on art, full of beautiful, philosophical thoughts.
I dare not to recommend something this grandiose as it requires the reader to put in effort and exercise his patience sometimes. But if it intrigues you, I think you won't regret picking it up. 4.5/5.