Notre-Dame de Paris (1831), known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, is Victor Hugo's classic historical novel set in Paris in 1482. The story centers on Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre-Dame Cathedral; Esmeralda, a beautiful young dancer; and Claude Frollo, the cathedral's archdeacon, whose obsessive desire for Esmeralda leads to tragedy. As Esmeralda becomes the object of love, lust, jealousy, and exploitation, Hugo weaves a powerful tale of unrequited love, social prejudice, fate, and injustice. At the same time, the novel serves as a celebration of medieval Paris and a plea for the preservation of Gothic architecture, with Notre-Dame Cathedral functioning as both setting and symbol at the heart of the story.