The Hunchback of Notre Dame , by Victor Hugo , is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics :

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influencesbiographical, historical, and literaryto enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. 0in 0in 0pt">one of the first great novels of the Romantic era, Victor Hugo ’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame has thrilled generations of readers with its powerfully melodramatic story of Quasimodo, the deformed hunchback who lives in the bell tower of medieval Paris’s most famous cathedral.

Feared and hated by all, Quasimodo is looked after by Dom Claude Frollo, a stern, cold priest who ignores the poor hunchback in the face of his frequent public torture. But someone steps forward to helpthe beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, whose single act of kindness fills Quasimodo with love. Can the hunchback save the lovely gypsy from Frollo’s evil plan, or will they all perish in the shadows of Notre Dame?

An epic tale of beauty and sadness, The Hunchback of Notre Dame portrays the sufferings of humanity with compassion and power.

Isabel Roche teaches French language and literature at Bennington College. She specializes in the nineteenth-century French novel.

维克多·雨果（Victor Hugo，1802—1885）

法国作家。法国浪漫主义文学的重要代表。1841年当选法兰西语文学院院士。生于军官家庭。长篇小说《巴黎圣母院》反对专制和教会。1861—1869年完成长篇小说《悲惨世界》，从人道主义观点描写资本主义社会的罪恶。《海上劳工》歌颂浪漫主义爱情在与大自然斗争和克服人性弱点方面的巨大精神力量。《笑面人》通过流浪艺人的悲惨遭遇，描写人民的苦难生活。1874年完成长篇小说《九三年》，描写法国革命高潮一年的动人场景。其他作品有诗作《历代传说集》，歌颂历史上人民反对罪恶统治者的斗争。还写有政论和演说稿等。