Surprised

[Jozanny]

I am surprised by some of the hostile comments to Hunchback on the novel's title page.

Sure, Hugo is a flawed author, and isn't quite the realist that Zola purportly is, but the story is relevant, poignant, and probes several themes: the nature of righteousness over hypocrisy, the lack of justice in social hierarchy, how ignorance creates cruelty, and zealousness leads to evil, and the ability of the human spirit to triumph despite suffering.

Notre Dame is also a love story, between beauty and beast, in some ways kindred souls, between Paris and its people, high and low, between knowledge and superstition, and between the spiritual, the profane, and how art mediates between the two.

Joanne

[bazarov]

Hugo was disciple of romanticism and Zola was disciple of naturalism. Naturalism was closer to realism then romanticism and therefore; Zola is more real than Hugo.