The very length of Hugo’s novel imposes an essentially ambulatory pattern upon the reader’s journey of discovery. Roger Clark writes:įor the modern student the process of familiarisation with Les Misérables is an experience that strangely replicates what it must have been like to become acquainted with preHaussmannian Paris. The focus of the novel is on its setting rather than its protagonists – we follow a cast of characters, but in the end, all roads lead to the cathedral.Īnyone who has ever read his magnum opus Les Misérables will not be surprised to hear that Hugo takes his time to set the scene.
However, Hugo’s original French title is much more accurate: Notre-Dame de Paris. This implies that the main character of the story is Quasimodo, the misformed outcast with a heart of gold who longs to spend oooone daaay ooouuut theeeeere. In fact, we can trace its primary misdirection back to whoever first decided on the English translation of the title of the book: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. You probably guessed that Victor Hugo’s novel does not have dancing gargoyles or Wizard of Oz references, but it goes much deeper than that.
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