I'm barely into the book, all hunched as I read, but already a couple of things piqued my curiousity. One is the description by a scholar of Quasimodo serving as a metaphor for achitectural decadence in 19th century France - indeed, Western culture. Hugo voiced his displeasure through Quasimodo's hideous exterior. Although, as it turns out as we all know, Quasimodo has a beautiful interior and how that manifests itself or transfers into France's inner soul is not explained.
What I find most engaging about Hugo's lament is we do the very same thing today. Only difference is we're shocked at the utter banality of modern architecture. Yet, for us, 19th century architecture is pleasing to us. For Hugo, the age of glory was the 15th century.
Two, and it ties into a similar generational contemporary complaint is the following passage in the book:
"What an abomination! That students should dare to talk that way to a citizen! In my time they would have been beaten with bundlesof kindling and then burned on them afterward."
The above passage was set in 1482 during the Epiphany and Festival of Fools to which Parisian townfolk swarned the streets of three separate districts.
How many times have we heard the "in my time" line? Just the other day, my friend was telling me about a group of students swearing incessantly at one another and even directing their ire at adults. He swore we had more respect in our day. I wasn't as convinced. We all want to believe we lived in stricter and more disciplined times.
Think of it. They were saying the same things in the 15th century!
It reminds me of Juvenal's savage attacks on Roman decadence. He could have fit in very well in today's political and cultural climate it seems.
That's all. I'm sure the book will elicit more thoughts.
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