Victor Hugo- The Hunchback of Notre Dame

[fayefaye]

*sniff* Has anyone read this? It's so sad at the end...

Did anyone else see a correlation between the characterisation of Quasimodo and the portrayal of Boo in To Kill a Mockingbird? (I think Boo was the real mockingbird in the book, not the black guy. Well, the black guy was a Mockingbird, but seemed only there for comparison purposes. I felt it was pretty foreshadowed by Boo. If you've read the book, then I'm referring both to Scout's attitude to Boo and what happens at the very end) Actually, I see intertextual comparisons everywhere, so I might just be a bit paranoid. I thought the characterisation of Tom Hanks character in You've Got Mail was just like Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. My friends disagree, but how could I not? I mean they kept refering to Pride and Prejudice throughout the movie. But I digress.

I hate Claude Frollo. What did you think of Esmeralda? Quasimodo and Esmeralda seemed similar in that they were so completely in love wtih someone who didn't really care about them. That's what makes the ending so sad. Care to share your thoughts?

[Shea]

I loved The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Then again, Hugo is one of my more favorite writers. I liked the way he casually created the contrast between Esmerelda and Quasimodo. It didn't really strike me about their physical opposites untill he compared them when Esmerelda escaped to the church. I wonder though if it was entirely neccessary for him to make that statement. Do you know which I'm talking about?

I wish I had feet like Esmerelda.

[fayefaye]

I liked the way he casually created the contrast between Esmerelda and Quasimodo. It didn't really strike me about their physical opposites untill he compared them when Esmerelda escaped to the church. I wonder though if it was entirely neccessary for him to make that statement. Do you know which I'm talking about? .

yes, I do. I think he did need to make the comparison. It makes it clear how horribly people can be prejudiced against somebody based on their appearance, and stereotypes, whether they be beautiful of hideous. They were against quasimodo because of his ugliness, but esmeralda underwent the equivalent amount of crap for her beauty, which caused claude frollo to -u-know-what- and blame the fact she's a gypsy.

[Shea]

But I thought that the reader could get that idea with out him having to point that out.

[fayefaye]

Probably, but it didn't really hurt to do so.

[IWilKikU]

I saw a book by Victor Hugo called "Notre Dame, Paris" is that a different title for the same book or is it different all together?

And for To Kill a Mockingbird, there wasn't one specific "mockingbird." Almost everyone in that book had people hurting them when they didn't deserve it. The theme is that people do bad things to good people who don't deserve it. Its just somthing that always happens. Atticus, Scout, Jem, Dill, Boo, and "the black guy" as fayfaye put it (his name was Tom wasn't it?), all were hurt for no apparent reason. It's not just about racism, or...Booism (predjudice against someone for being Boo).

[fayefaye]

uhm... I don't know the answer to your question, but I definately agree with you on To kill a mockingbird.