Art in The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo    Alexa McCall
                                            
                                            

"But besides this first thought, there was, in our opinion, a second, the more obvious of the two, a more modern corollary to the former idea, less easily understood and more likely to be contested. This view is quite as philosophical, but it no longer belongs to the priest alone but to the scholar and to the artist as well. Here was a premonition that human thought had advanced, and, in changing, was about to change its mode of expression, that the important ideas of each new generation would be recorded in a new way, that the book of stone, so solid and so enduring, was about to be supplanted by the paper book, which would become more enduring still. In this respect, the vague formula of the archdeacon had a second meaning: That one art would dethrone another art. It meant: Printing will destroy architecture.

[. . .] It is to this setting sun that we look for a new dawn.

[. . .] It is the second Tower of Babel of the human race."

pg 171, 179, 184

Connotation and Metaphor

1. The phrase "the book of stone, so solid and enduring" refers to the history of human ideas as told through architecture. It connotes the strength and nobility of architecture as an art form and implies a feeling of reverence. The words "solid"  and "stone" depict architecture as strong and firm, while "enduring" adds an appreciation of architecture's (and humanity's) long history and it's ability to withstand hardship and tumult. Referring to architecture as a "book of stone" reinforces Hugo's assertion that it is not only a collection of structures, but a high form of art. 

2. If architecture is an important and high form of art, then claiming that the "paper book" would "dethrone" architecture as the art that is "more enduring still" raises the written word to an even higher level of importance. "Dethrone" implies that, though both regal and dignified, the paper book has superior nobility and abilities to architecture. "Destroy" implies that printing also has greater power. 

3. "Setting sun" and "new dawn" both convey a sense of beauty. The "setting sun" as a metaphor for architecture shows an art form in a gradual, peaceful, and yet still beautiful decline. The "new dawn" of printing connotes new hope, purity, and fresh opportunities.

4. "It is the second Tower of Babel of the human race" presents the most interesting connotation in the passage. In the story of the Tower of Babel, God thwarts the efforts of a group of people building a great tower by causing them to speak different languages and lose the ability to communicate. The Tower of Babel connotes an ambitious undertaking, but also frustrated hopes and the weakness of people before God - or in Victor Hugo's case, possibly fate. 

Tone

The tone of the passage is serious and reflective. The description of art and architecture expresses Victor Hugo's belief that art has a serious purpose and meaning. Words like "philosophical," "new generation," and "human race" convey the gravity and importance of architecture and printing as art forms. 

Irony

1. The idea that paper books are more enduring than stone edifices presents the most obvious instance of irony in this passage. A piece of paper clearly cannot outlast a building, if exposed to the same harsh conditions; however, Hugo argues that the ubiquity of the printed word can withstand assault with more resilience than a single stone structure. The physical books themselves cannot endure for longer than solid buildings, but their content can survive because they can be reproduced easily and in mass quantities. 

2. The Tower of Babel provides a second instance of irony. Hugo spends the entire fourteen-page chapter exalting the wonders of the printing press and chronicling the history of the record of human ideas through architecture. He clearly (and repeatedly) explains how the printing press revolutionized the expression of ideas through art and how it could emancipate the masses. He even compares the advent of the printing press to the rising of the sun. But, in the final sentence of the chapter, he also compares it to the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel connotes confusion and failed ambition, a stark contrast to the previous fourteen pages of hopeful examination. It is an ironic choice of words that Victor Hugo should describe the collected intelligence of generations to the doomed and unfinished Tower of Babel. 

Problems, Questions, and Connections Suggested by the Passage

1. If printing will destroy architecture, does that mean that both art forms cannot coexist and thrive? One decays so that the other can grow stronger, but there is no possible compromise. One must eventually dominate the other; this echoes the relationships between Esmeralda and Phoebus Chateaupers, Claude Frollo, and Quasimodo. All three men love Esmeralda at one point, but in the process they destroy each other or themselves. Claude Frollo feels so bitterly jealous of Esmeralda's devotion to Phoebus that he attempts to murder Phoebus and even abandons Esmeralda to the gallows. Although he claims to love her, ironically, Claude Frollo condemns Esmeralda to die because she refuses to return his love. Quasimodo, enraged at his master Claude Frollo, sends the unfortunate archdeacon to his death by shoving him from the towers of Notre Dame. In grief, Quasimodo seals himself into his own grave with Esmeralda.

2. Why is printing like the Tower of Babel? Does Hugo simply mean that the invention of the printing press allowed people to freely exchange many languages and ideas, or does he intend to insinuate some dark premonition about the future of society? Does he predict that some greater means of communication will eventually overthrow print, or that print will overthrow society and lead to conflict?

     The conflict between architecture and print as the preeminent art form reflects the major dilemma of the novel: Claude Frollo's internal, and eventually external, conflict between his position as archdeacon and his desires for knowledge and for Esmeralda. In fact, Frollo's exclamation, "the book will kill the edifice," inspires the subsequent chapter on art. Architecture represents tradition and the history of civilization, solid, steadfast, and immutable; print represents innovation and fresh, possibly dangerous thinking. Claude Frollo is an edifice of tradition crumbling under the strain of new thoughts and emotions. His obsessive study of the sciences, particularly alchemy, gives him a reputation as a malignant magician. The search for the truth torments the archdeacon. He cannot accept the teachings of the Church alone. He crawls "through all the innumerable windings of that dark cave of science," searching for something greater, some new truth closer to God. But it also leads him to etch the Greek word for "fate" on the walls of Notre Dame, indicating that he may believe in the power of fate in people's lives more than that of the divine. The stress of his search drives Frollo slightly mad.  

     Esmeralda provides the source for Frollo's greater internal conflict. As an archdeacon, he is expected to be pious and chaste, but his desire for Esmeralda consumes him. He is willing to break with this strict tradition for her sake, but Esmeralda will not have him. Her rejection destroys Frollo. Left without an outlet for his tumultuous emotions, he becomes obsessive, jealous, vindictive, and even murderous. He continues to put on the act of piety, but internally the archdeacon has given up on his immortal soul. His final word is "damnation." Claude Frollo's new thoughts and feelings destroy his life as an archdeacon, just as Hugo contends the printing press destroyed architecture.