The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This book is a classic for a reason. If you're curious to find out what that reason is, you should read the book.

Themes to pay attention to when reading this awesome novel are as follows:

• The sublime juxtaposed against the grotesque
• The eternal ebb and flow of popular favor; the throne and pillory are one and the same
• Mothers loving best the child that brings them the most pain
• The Word: relating to architecture, architecture as the writing of mankind, stone writing replaced by paper writing, each generation recording their words through different media, books as buildings are more acceptable forms of written information, the printing press dethroned architecture, writers of stone books derived from artists, poets, and the people instead of based on caste and rank, the power of the Word/ magic word, a name as the Word
• Spider and fly analogy; the fly is already fated to death
• Phoebus; the sun; light/dark
• A sanctuary as a prison in all but name
• Compassion, mercy, pity vs. selfishness
• Beauty: inside and outside
• Marriage: as a prison, a convenience, or as completely pure love