The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris, lit. Our Lady of Paris) is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831.
Set in medieval Paris, Victor Hugo's powerful historical romance has resonated with succeeding generations ever since its publication. It tells the story of the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, condemned as a witch by the tormented archdeacon Claude Frollo, who lusts after her. Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of Notre-Dame Cathedral, having fallen in love with the kindhearted Esmeralda, tries to save her by hiding her in the cathedral's tower. When a crowd of Parisian peasants, misunderstanding Quasimodo's motives, attacks the church in an attempt to liberate her, the story ends in tragedy.