The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Victor Hugo(1802-1885) Translated by Isabel Florence Hapgood
Hunchbacks. We stare. We cringe. We shudder. We think: the poor guy; glad that’s not me. Whether we’ve read, heard of, or have seen The Hunchback of Notre Dame in one of its many adaptations, the ineluctable image of the “monster with a good heart” is a window on a life not tethered to concerns of fashion, status, and power. Victor Hugo liked to turn the world on its head, much as the Parables of Jesus do. Appearance, be it physical, social, or the unquestioned acceptance of the unexamined priest, ultimately misleads. Things aren’t what they seem. Good turns out to be bad. Bad turns out to be good. On another level Hugo posits the inevitable conflict between the order imposed from above to placate angry gods (or God), with its concomitant benefits of power and position, versus those troublesome urges within that are not only part and parcel of life, but the very flowering of life itself. It’s hard to imagine a God who doesn’t need an army of arrogant, power-based, celibate men to keep the rabble in check. He doesn’t. And here, it’s the monstrous Quasimodo, who elevates lust to love, who shows that allowing the human to be human (as we allow “monsters” considerable freedom to be themselves) will yield an order that doesn’t require the strictures of church or state. Love, which is life, is holy, the substance of our best selves, as fully present in the babe as in the adult, no matter his or her appearance or conventional wisdom concerning same. (Summary by Michael Hogan)
Play sample:
Product Details
| Read by: | Mark Nelson |
| Length: | 21 hours and 46 minutes |
| Type: | Solo reading |
| Media: | MP3 CD |
| Package: | DVD box |
| Item No.: | CD-1295 |
| List Price: | $5.99 |
| Artwork: | Disc contains 300 dpi image files for printing |
| CD label art: | Includes both square JPG and round PNG formats |
| CD jewel case art: | Includes cover, inner insert, and J-card |
Credits
Production
Book Coordinator: Mark Nelson
Meta Coordinator: Sarah Jennings
Proof Listener: Shelach
Artwork
Cover: Illustration of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, 1881, by Luc-Olivier Merson (1846-1920)
Inset: Esmeralda gives Quasimodo drink on the pillory. Oil on canvas by Luc-Olivier Merson, 1903.
Inset: Photo of Victor Hugo, 1884, by Nadar
The Recordings
About MP3 Audio
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The Recordings
These recordings were made using the author’s original published work, which is in the public domain. The readings were recorded by members of Librivox.org, which has generously made the recordings available to the public domain. While Librivox condones the sale and distribution of these recordings, it is not associated with the management or operations of MP3 Audiobook Classics. The audio files have been lightly edited and have been engineered using professional audio tools for maximum sonic quality. We spend considerable time and effort to ensure the recordings are free of noise, equalized for maximum listener pleasure, and that tracks are leveled and normalized to provide a consistent listening experience.
Table of Contents
| Track | Book / Chapter | Duration |
| 1 | Preface and Book 1: I - The Grand Hall | 39:14 |
| 2 | Book 1: II - Pierre Gringoire | 23:30 |
| 3 | Book 1: III - Monsieur the Cardinal | 17:40 |
| 4 | Book 1: IV - Master Jacques Coppenole | 22:54 |
| 5 | Book 1: V - Quasimodo | 17:29 |
| 6 | Book 1: VI - Esmeralda | 5:36 |
| 7 | Book 2: I - From Charybdis to Scylla | 6:59 |
| 8 | Book 2: II - The Place de Grave | 6:15 |
| 9 | Book 2: III - Kisses for Blows | 26:10 |
| 10 | Book 2: IV - The Inconvenience of Following a Pretty Woman through the Streets in the Evening | 11:13 |
| 11 | Book 2: V - Result of the Dangers | 5:38 |
| 12 | Book 2: VI - The Broken Jug | 47:55 |
| 13 | Book 2: VII - A Bridal Night | 23:33 |
| 14 | Book 3: I - Notre-Dame | 22:52 |
| 15 | Book 3: II - A Bird's-eye View of Paris | 1:06:35 |
| 16 | Book 4: I - Good Souls | 9:12 |
| 17 | Book 4: II - Claude Frollo | 13:28 |
| 18 | Book 4: III - Immanis Pecoris Custos Immanior Ipse | 20:33 |
| 19 | Book 4: IV - The Dog and his Master | 3:25 |
| 20 | Book 4: V - More about Claude Frollo | 17:56 |
| 21 | Book 4: VI - Unpopularity | 2:27 |
| 22 | Book 5: I - Abbas Beati Martini | 27:20 |
| 23 | Book 5: II - This will Kill That | 41:41 |
| 24 | Book 6: I - An Impartial Glance at the Ancient Magistracy | 29:03 |
| 25 | Book 6: II - The Rat-Hole | 10:57 |
| 26 | Book 6: III - History of a Leavened Cake of Maize | 54:01 |
| 27 | Book 6: IV - A Tear for a Drop of Water | 24:23 |
| 28 | Book 6: V - End of the Story of the Cake | 2:05 |
| 29 | Book 7: I - The Danger of Confiding One's Secret to a Goat | 36:54 |
| 30 | Book 7: II - A Priest and a Philosopher are two Different Things | 22:54 |
| 31 | Book 7: III - The Bells | 6:19 |
| 32 | Book 7: IV - ~ANArKH~ | 36:05 |
| 33 | Book 7: V - The Two Men Clothed in Black | 15:16 |
| 34 | Book 7: VI - The Effect which Seven Oaths in the Open Air can Produce | 10:49 |
| 35 | Book 7: VII - The Mysterious Monk | 20:33 |
| 36 | Book 7: VIII - The Utility of Windows which Open on the River | 21:22 |
| 37 | Book 8: I - The Crown Changed into a Dry Leaf | 24:17 |
| 38 | Book 8: II - Continuation of the Crown which was Changed into a DryLeaf | 13:00 |
| 39 | Book 8: III - End of the Crown which was Changed into a Dry Leaf | 8:41 |
| 40 | Book 8: IV - ~Lasciate Ogni Speranza~ Leave all hope behind ye who Enter here | 39:07 |
| 41 | Book 8: V - The Mother | 13:27 |
| 42 | Book 8: VI - Three Human Hearts differently Constructed | 43:43 |
| 43 | Book 9: I - Delirium | 29:10 |
| 44 | Book 9: II - Hunchbacked One Eyed Lame | 10:10 |
| 45 | Book 9: III - Deaf | 7:41 |
| 46 | Book 9: IV - Earthenware and Crystal | 28:23 |
| 47 | Book 9: V - The Key to the Red Door | 5:28 |
| 48 | Book 9: VI - Continuation of the Key to the Red Door | 7:46 |
| 49 | Book 10: I - Gringoire has Many Good Ideas in Succession. Rue des Bernardins | 25:38 |
| 50 | Book 10: II - Turn Vagabond | 5:26 |
| 51 | Book 10: III - Long Live Mirth | 20:11 |
| 52 | Book 10: IV - An Awkward Friend | 48:38 |
| 53 | Book 10: V-1 - The Retreat in which Monsieur Louis of France says his Prayers | 52:23 |
| 54 | Book 10: V-2 - The Retreat in which Monsieur Louis of France says his Prayers | 25:43 |
| 55 | Book 10: VI - Little Sword in Pocket | 2:26 |
| 56 | Book 10: VII - Chateaupers to the Rescue | 5:12 |
| 57 | Book 11: I-1 - The Little Shoe | 35:41 |
| 58 | Book 11: I-2 - The Little Shoe | 51:39 |
| 59 | Book 11: II - The Beautiful Creature Clad in White | 23:27 |
| 60 | Book 11: III - The Marriage of Phoebus | 2:23 |
| 61 | Book 11: IV - The Marriage of Quasimodo | 5:39 |
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