Notre-Dame de Paris

"Notre-Dame de Paris" by Victor Hugo is a historical fiction set in Paris during the year 1482 that introduces the reader to a lively city. The novel begins on January 6 during the Feast of Fools with the audience gathering for the arrival of the morality play. As citizens await impatiently, the introduction of Pierre Gringoire, an unestablished poet, demonstrates social class through his internal frustrations upon the arrival of Cardinal de Bourbon. Gringoire's play is interrupted by the Cardinal and a group of Flemish ambassadors, creating tension and chaos amongst the scholars and commoners. Also introduced is Quasimodo, along with other historical figures, which establishes the beginning for the characters arcs to come.