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Jun. 22nd, 2013 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsSo most people who have not read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame think that Quasimodo is the main character, or maybe Esmeralda, or possibly Creepy Frollo, Stalker Priest.
This is not true, because the book has no main character, and what's fascinating is that the book is a completely different story if read through any of their perspectives. The main cast is as follows:
ESMERALDA: A beautiful singing dancing symbol of exotic beauty
DJALI: Her adorable pet goat
CLAUDE FROLLO: A stalker priest, with a crush on Esmeralda
QUASIMODO: An unfortunately disabled and deaf bell-ringer, with a crush on Esmeralda
GRINGOIRE: A failure poet and Esmeralda's fake husband, with a crush on Esmeralda's goat
PHOEBUS: A douchebag soldier, on whom Esmeralda has a crush
JEHAN FROLLO: A douchebag student, who is Frollo's baby brother
THE SACK WOMAN: A nun buried in the floor who spends all her time either screaming or staring at a tiny adorable baby shoe
NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS: A cathedral, with a crush on Quasimodo
My personal favorite version of Hunchback is the story you get if you read it through Gringoire's perspective, because it is the least depressing of the lot. A tale, indeed, of true love triumphant in a WORLD GONE MAD!
Gringoire starts out the book at rock bottom. His play is a failure! He has no cash! He's about to be murdered for accidentally wandering into the headquarters of the beggars of Paris!
Then he is rescued by the beautiful Esmeralda, who agrees to fake marry him, and his life TURNS AROUND.
GRINGOIRE: Hey baby! Did you save my life and fake marry me because you were madly in love with me, by any chance? :D
ESMERALDA: Nope! I just felt like it was the right thing to do. By the way, try to touch me and I'll kill you.
GRINGOIRE: . . . okay.
ESMERALDA: Also, this is my pet goat Djali.
GRINGOIRE: Wow, what an adorable goat!
DJALI: I will let you touch me.
GRINGOIRE: . . . okay. *____*
And they settle down to a happy life together, while Grantaire learns to balance chairs on his face and Djali learns to spell out the name of Esmeralda's crush, Phoebus the Douchebag.
Some time later, Gringoire bumps into his old teacher Frollo, who unbeknownst to him has a massive, deeply unfortunate boner for Esmeralda.
FROLLO: So what are you doing hanging out with gypsies? Seems like you're pretty down on your luck for a poet!
GRINGOIRE: No, no, I am very happy! I help out Esmeralda in her acts and I get to live with the BEST GOAT IN THE WORLD. :D
FROLLO: So you are absolutely sure you don't do anything, you know, carnal?
GRINGOIRE: With the goat?
FROLLO: . . . . no . . . what?
GRINGOIRE: . . . oh! With Esmeralda! No, we're just good fake married friends. :D
FROLLO: . . . son, I have some serious worries about your soul.
But then, oh no! Esmeralda disappears! She's on trial for witchcraft, for murdering Phoebus the Douchebag, and for consorting with a demon goat!
ESMERALDA: I'm not a witch!
THE COURT: We call the goat for evidence! Goat, here are some block letters -
DJALI: *SPELLS OUT PHOEBUS*
GRINGOIRE: Oh no! Djali! My poor baby! You must release her! SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES! ;____;
Then some guy called Quasimodo, who has basically not been in the story until now, swoops in and rescues Esmeralda and her goat and brings them to sanctuary in Notre-Dame. Frollo, however, is not happy about this, and after a while he turns up and asks for Gringoire's help.
FROLLO: So, you must be pining pretty hard without Esmeralda around.
GRINGOIRE: Actually, I'm great! I've learned how to appreciate architecture! You know what's awesome? THIS STAIRCASE. I love this staircase. So plain, but so elegant!
FROLLO: . . . so anyway, the courts have turned up with an order to get Esmeralda out of sanctuary! I am concerned about this out of altruism, and not at all because I want to either have sex with her or kill her.
GRINGOIRE: I mean, I guess I'd like to help Esmeralda if I can, she's a nice girl. And she did save my life that one time --
FROLLO: I'M SAYING.
GRINGOIRE: But I notice you haven't yet mentioned DJALI. How is she doing? Is she all right?!
FROLLO: I am asking for your help to get Esmeralda out of there!
GRINGOIRE: And the goat?!
FROLLO: . . . . wow, if I wasn't having an evil nervous breakdown, I would be so concerned about you. SURE. AND THE GOAT.
So they coordinate all of Esmeralda's rogue friends to get involved in a massive attack on Notre-Dame, in the course of which Quasimodo accidentally murders a bunch of people, including Frollo's baby brother, because he is tragically deaf and does not realize that the people attacking the cathedral are actually on Team Esmeralda.
While Quasimodo pointlessly murders people out front, Frollo, Gringoire, Esmeralda and Djali are on their way out the back door.
FROLLO: So I think it makes sense if we split up.
ESMERALDA: Oh god Gringoire please do not leave me alone with this stalker. @___@
DJALI: Hi Gringoire hi Gringoire hi hi hi hi! :D :D :D :D
GRINGOIRE: . . . I CANNOT SAVE THEM BOTH. ;_____;
So Gringoire takes the goat and runs, because sometimes true love has to come first, okay? THEY'LL KILL HER IF THEY FIND HER, OKAY. Frollo obviously does not have her as a priority, and HER LIFE IS AT SERIOUS RISK.
And events prove him right, because everyone else dies tragically in a massive clusterfuck, and you know who lives happily ever after? Gringoire and Djali.
GRINGOIRE: Yes, it is sad about Esmeralda and all, but you know what, I've got ARCHITECTURE, I've got POETRY, I've got MY GOAT. Who could ask for anything more? :D
Much to my delight, the introduction of the edition I was reading firmly agrees with me about the importance of Gringoire/Djali in the story. "It's the only happy marriage of two living things in the entire book," says Elizabeth McCracken. "Do not scorn the love of a goat: it is a powerful, touching thing, at least in Hugo's hands." INDEED. Elizabeth McCracken also believes that "the central couple of the novel is not Quasimodo/Esmeralda, but Quasimodo/the Cathedral of Notre-Dame," which I hope she has entered properly as a tag on AO3.
Okay, all that aside, I do have some other thoughts on my reread of the book, unrelated to pure and true goat love but possibly related to Les Miserables.
1. Frollo is a really terrible human being and will always be a terrible human being for the way he treats Esmeralda. BUT I really wish more adaptations would show Early Frollo -- the Frollo who is incredibly devoted to his little brother, who adopts Quasimodo and teaches Gringoire out of genuine kindness and compassion for lost children. Because complicated people are always more interesting as characters. It's also interesting in the light of having been immersed in Les Miserables for the past six months, because, even though they're very different characters, Frollo's relationship with his brother Jehan is actually described very similarly to Valjean's relationship with Cosette -- both of them kind of subsume their entire capacity for love into this one child that has ended up in their care. And I think it's really interesting that Early Hugo thinks this basically doesn't work, and Late Hugo firmly believes it does.
2. Relatedly: wow, Jehan Frollo. I remember really liking him when I was sixteen and now all I can think is "what a dick!"
3. I kept expecting there to be more digressions! It's very strange to read a hundred pages of straight plot in a Hugo novel. Go back to having feelings about architecture, Hugo! That's always interesting. I mean, I guess you can sublimate them through Gringoire, too, if you want.
4. Relatedly: Gringoire is such an interesting sort of self-insert character. Because he is, although obviously all the characters are self-insert in some way or other, with the possible exception of Esmeralda whom Hugo has no idea how to write. Poor Esmeralda; other people are going to do you much more justice later on. But Gringoire especially, with his self-importance and his mediocre writing and his inherent selfishness -- it's more self-awareness than you usually think of Hugo having.
4. Do I need to talk about all the inherent racism, ableism, sexism, et cetera, or can we just take it as read? Although, while the whole "Esmeralda has a secret crazy nun mom! Esmeralda's not really a Gypsy! AREN'T WE ALL RELIEVED" plot is terrible and has justifiably been cut out of all recent adaptations, I actually . . . am really entertained . . . by Hugo's constant paeans to the adorableness of little tiny baby feet omg so cute . . .
5. I firmly remembered Fleur-de-Lis as being fourteen, thanks to the Notre-Dame de Paris musical, and was very much surprised to realize that she's actually twenty-two, which makes that kind of an incredibly bizarre choice on the musical's part . . .
. . . but a post about the musical is going to have to come NEXT TIME.
This is not true, because the book has no main character, and what's fascinating is that the book is a completely different story if read through any of their perspectives. The main cast is as follows:
ESMERALDA: A beautiful singing dancing symbol of exotic beauty
DJALI: Her adorable pet goat
CLAUDE FROLLO: A stalker priest, with a crush on Esmeralda
QUASIMODO: An unfortunately disabled and deaf bell-ringer, with a crush on Esmeralda
GRINGOIRE: A failure poet and Esmeralda's fake husband, with a crush on Esmeralda's goat
PHOEBUS: A douchebag soldier, on whom Esmeralda has a crush
JEHAN FROLLO: A douchebag student, who is Frollo's baby brother
THE SACK WOMAN: A nun buried in the floor who spends all her time either screaming or staring at a tiny adorable baby shoe
NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS: A cathedral, with a crush on Quasimodo
My personal favorite version of Hunchback is the story you get if you read it through Gringoire's perspective, because it is the least depressing of the lot. A tale, indeed, of true love triumphant in a WORLD GONE MAD!
Gringoire starts out the book at rock bottom. His play is a failure! He has no cash! He's about to be murdered for accidentally wandering into the headquarters of the beggars of Paris!
Then he is rescued by the beautiful Esmeralda, who agrees to fake marry him, and his life TURNS AROUND.
GRINGOIRE: Hey baby! Did you save my life and fake marry me because you were madly in love with me, by any chance? :D
ESMERALDA: Nope! I just felt like it was the right thing to do. By the way, try to touch me and I'll kill you.
GRINGOIRE: . . . okay.
ESMERALDA: Also, this is my pet goat Djali.
GRINGOIRE: Wow, what an adorable goat!
DJALI: I will let you touch me.
GRINGOIRE: . . . okay. *____*
And they settle down to a happy life together, while Grantaire learns to balance chairs on his face and Djali learns to spell out the name of Esmeralda's crush, Phoebus the Douchebag.
Some time later, Gringoire bumps into his old teacher Frollo, who unbeknownst to him has a massive, deeply unfortunate boner for Esmeralda.
FROLLO: So what are you doing hanging out with gypsies? Seems like you're pretty down on your luck for a poet!
GRINGOIRE: No, no, I am very happy! I help out Esmeralda in her acts and I get to live with the BEST GOAT IN THE WORLD. :D
FROLLO: So you are absolutely sure you don't do anything, you know, carnal?
GRINGOIRE: With the goat?
FROLLO: . . . . no . . . what?
GRINGOIRE: . . . oh! With Esmeralda! No, we're just good fake married friends. :D
FROLLO: . . . son, I have some serious worries about your soul.
But then, oh no! Esmeralda disappears! She's on trial for witchcraft, for murdering Phoebus the Douchebag, and for consorting with a demon goat!
ESMERALDA: I'm not a witch!
THE COURT: We call the goat for evidence! Goat, here are some block letters -
DJALI: *SPELLS OUT PHOEBUS*
GRINGOIRE: Oh no! Djali! My poor baby! You must release her! SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES! ;____;
Then some guy called Quasimodo, who has basically not been in the story until now, swoops in and rescues Esmeralda and her goat and brings them to sanctuary in Notre-Dame. Frollo, however, is not happy about this, and after a while he turns up and asks for Gringoire's help.
FROLLO: So, you must be pining pretty hard without Esmeralda around.
GRINGOIRE: Actually, I'm great! I've learned how to appreciate architecture! You know what's awesome? THIS STAIRCASE. I love this staircase. So plain, but so elegant!
FROLLO: . . . so anyway, the courts have turned up with an order to get Esmeralda out of sanctuary! I am concerned about this out of altruism, and not at all because I want to either have sex with her or kill her.
GRINGOIRE: I mean, I guess I'd like to help Esmeralda if I can, she's a nice girl. And she did save my life that one time --
FROLLO: I'M SAYING.
GRINGOIRE: But I notice you haven't yet mentioned DJALI. How is she doing? Is she all right?!
FROLLO: I am asking for your help to get Esmeralda out of there!
GRINGOIRE: And the goat?!
FROLLO: . . . . wow, if I wasn't having an evil nervous breakdown, I would be so concerned about you. SURE. AND THE GOAT.
So they coordinate all of Esmeralda's rogue friends to get involved in a massive attack on Notre-Dame, in the course of which Quasimodo accidentally murders a bunch of people, including Frollo's baby brother, because he is tragically deaf and does not realize that the people attacking the cathedral are actually on Team Esmeralda.
While Quasimodo pointlessly murders people out front, Frollo, Gringoire, Esmeralda and Djali are on their way out the back door.
FROLLO: So I think it makes sense if we split up.
ESMERALDA: Oh god Gringoire please do not leave me alone with this stalker. @___@
DJALI: Hi Gringoire hi Gringoire hi hi hi hi! :D :D :D :D
GRINGOIRE: . . . I CANNOT SAVE THEM BOTH. ;_____;
So Gringoire takes the goat and runs, because sometimes true love has to come first, okay? THEY'LL KILL HER IF THEY FIND HER, OKAY. Frollo obviously does not have her as a priority, and HER LIFE IS AT SERIOUS RISK.
And events prove him right, because everyone else dies tragically in a massive clusterfuck, and you know who lives happily ever after? Gringoire and Djali.
GRINGOIRE: Yes, it is sad about Esmeralda and all, but you know what, I've got ARCHITECTURE, I've got POETRY, I've got MY GOAT. Who could ask for anything more? :D
Much to my delight, the introduction of the edition I was reading firmly agrees with me about the importance of Gringoire/Djali in the story. "It's the only happy marriage of two living things in the entire book," says Elizabeth McCracken. "Do not scorn the love of a goat: it is a powerful, touching thing, at least in Hugo's hands." INDEED. Elizabeth McCracken also believes that "the central couple of the novel is not Quasimodo/Esmeralda, but Quasimodo/the Cathedral of Notre-Dame," which I hope she has entered properly as a tag on AO3.
Okay, all that aside, I do have some other thoughts on my reread of the book, unrelated to pure and true goat love but possibly related to Les Miserables.
1. Frollo is a really terrible human being and will always be a terrible human being for the way he treats Esmeralda. BUT I really wish more adaptations would show Early Frollo -- the Frollo who is incredibly devoted to his little brother, who adopts Quasimodo and teaches Gringoire out of genuine kindness and compassion for lost children. Because complicated people are always more interesting as characters. It's also interesting in the light of having been immersed in Les Miserables for the past six months, because, even though they're very different characters, Frollo's relationship with his brother Jehan is actually described very similarly to Valjean's relationship with Cosette -- both of them kind of subsume their entire capacity for love into this one child that has ended up in their care. And I think it's really interesting that Early Hugo thinks this basically doesn't work, and Late Hugo firmly believes it does.
2. Relatedly: wow, Jehan Frollo. I remember really liking him when I was sixteen and now all I can think is "what a dick!"
3. I kept expecting there to be more digressions! It's very strange to read a hundred pages of straight plot in a Hugo novel. Go back to having feelings about architecture, Hugo! That's always interesting. I mean, I guess you can sublimate them through Gringoire, too, if you want.
4. Relatedly: Gringoire is such an interesting sort of self-insert character. Because he is, although obviously all the characters are self-insert in some way or other, with the possible exception of Esmeralda whom Hugo has no idea how to write. Poor Esmeralda; other people are going to do you much more justice later on. But Gringoire especially, with his self-importance and his mediocre writing and his inherent selfishness -- it's more self-awareness than you usually think of Hugo having.
4. Do I need to talk about all the inherent racism, ableism, sexism, et cetera, or can we just take it as read? Although, while the whole "Esmeralda has a secret crazy nun mom! Esmeralda's not really a Gypsy! AREN'T WE ALL RELIEVED" plot is terrible and has justifiably been cut out of all recent adaptations, I actually . . . am really entertained . . . by Hugo's constant paeans to the adorableness of little tiny baby feet omg so cute . . .
5. I firmly remembered Fleur-de-Lis as being fourteen, thanks to the Notre-Dame de Paris musical, and was very much surprised to realize that she's actually twenty-two, which makes that kind of an incredibly bizarre choice on the musical's part . . .
. . . but a post about the musical is going to have to come NEXT TIME.
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Date: 2013-06-22 11:32 pm (UTC)also, g---y is a slur
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Date: 2013-06-22 11:43 pm (UTC)Do you have a recommendation for what alternate word to use? I know it's deeply problematic, but it's what's used for the most part in the translation, and I'm not aware of a good overall alternative for, well, the way Hugo uses it, which is obviously super racist and inaccurate - hence the convoluted plot of "glory be, she's French after all!"