巴黎圣母院英文读书报告.doc

Book Report1, The information of the book: Notre-Dame de Paris, published by YILI PEOPLES PRESS in 2001, written by Victor Hugo in 1831.2, The introduction of the author:Victor Hugo (born May 22, 1885 and died on February 26, 1802) is a poet, novelist, and dramatist and is the representative of French romantic writers.When Hugo was 9 years old, he began to write poetry. When he was 15 years old, the joy of learning written by him won the French Academy Award degree. At the age of 20, he published books of poetry, Songs and Carols. In 1827, Victor Hugo published the script Cromwell. Although the script failed to perform, but it was considered as a landmark document into literary history and had an effect on French romanticism preamble. 1830, Hugos script Hernani was put on in Grand Theater. From then on, romantic established a dominant position in French literary circles. In July 1830, France had July Revolution. Hugo warmly praised the revolution and wrote poems mourning those who died in the revolution. In 1831 Victor Hugo wrote Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the most romantic novels. However, Hugo became a republican. And then he suffered persecution and lived abroad. During this period of time, he wrote les Contemplations, les Miserables and LHomme qui Rit. It was not until 1870 that Victor Hugo went back to Paris. In 1885, he died in Paris. In order to memorize him, he was laid to rest in le Pantheon.Though he is regarded in France as one of that countrys greatest poets, he is famous for such novels as Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) and Les Miserables (1862). He is the leader of 19th century romantic literature movement, a representative of humanitarian and is also called as “Shakespeare of France”. 3, The main content of this book:Notre-Dame de Pariswas written in 1831. The story begins during the Renaissance in 1482, the day of the Festival of Fools in Paris. All the people were immerged in the celebration of April Fools day. Esmeralda, a beautiful 16-year-old gypsy with a kind and generous heart, captured the hearts of many men but especially Quasimodos adopted father, Dom Claude Frollo the archdeacon. Frollo is torn between his lust and the rules of the church. At last, he couldnt resist his lust, so he ordered Quasimodo to get her. However, Esmeralda was rescued by Phoebus de Chateaupers who was a captain of the archers of the Kings troop. And Quasimodo was caught and whipped and ordered to be tied down in the heat. When Esmeralda knew he was thirsty, she offered him water without hesitance, which in turn made Quasimodo fall in love with her.While Esmeralda had fallen in love with Phoebus since he rescued her, which made Frollo feel very angry. So he stabbed Phoebus at one of the appointments of them. Consequently Esmeralda was accused of the murder and was sentenced to be hanged. It was Quasimodo who saved her by bringing her to the cathedral under the law of sanctuary. Frollo rallied the truands to charge the cathedral. The King, seeing the riot, vetoed the law of sanctuary and commanded his troops to take Esmeralda out and kill her. When Quasimodo saw the truands, he assumed they were to hurt Esmeralda, so he tried his best to drive them off. However, Frollo handed her out to the troops and watched happily while she was hanged. When Quasimodo recognized what his adopted father had done, he was furious and pushed him down from Notre Dame de Paris. He then disappeared. It was almost 2 years later, people found his skeletons clasp Esmeraldas tightly. 4, Personal comments: This novel gives us a very clear comparison of beauty and ugliness. The main characters leave a deep impression on readers. Esmeralda was beautiful, not only because she had a petty appearance but also because she had a very kind heart and a pure view on love. When Gringoire was sentence to be hanged for coming into the Court of Miracles by a mistake, it is Esmeralda who rescued him by marring to him in law. However, when Gringoire fell in love with her and wanted to become her real husband, she rejected him and said what she could love was a man who was able to protect her firmly. When Quasimodo who did harm to her and was ordered to be tied down in the heat, was thirty, Esmeralda gave him water without hesitance. When Frollo took every despicable measure to make Esmeralda satisfy his lust, she rejected firmly in condition of losing her life. She had already devoted herself to Phoebus; no matter he loved her truly or not. What she believed is that once she loved, she would be devotedly attached to his lover in regardless of the result. Quasimodo was beautiful, although he had a severely ugly appearance, physically deformed with a hunchback, a huge wart covered his right eye, a limp and deaf, yet his inner world was pure. He owned the characteristic of gratefulness, kindness and justice. He knew love didnt means occupying but offering and sacrifice. He knew that he was too ugly to captures the girls heart. So he was silently in love with Esmeralda. His love was so deep and pure, and he was only offering without asking for return. When he recognized his foster-father was the man who led to the death of Esmeralda, he pushed down from Notre Dame de Paris. And he, himself went to the tomb of Esmeralda, clasping her dead body tightly, and dead. Quasimodo, a representative of beauty of humanity and love, motivate readers deeply. Phoebus was ugly. Although he had a handsome appearance, high social state and money, his inner word was full of lust and he was vain and shameless that he was always ready to speak foul words, proud to be a womanizer. Although he had already been engaged with Fleur-de-Lys, he flirted with Esmeralda. He was a hypocrite. What he cared most were only his social state, his power and himself. Of course he should have stood out to prove Esmeraldas innocent, however, he didnt do it for fear of his fame and future. How obscene he was! How about Frollo? He was a pretentious man under the shelter of religion. He was actually an evil. We cannot deny that he loved Esmeralda, but his love was just to have the girl all to himself and to satisfy his lust unscrupulously. He loved with madness, infatuation, agony. In order to get Esmeralda, Frollo took every despicable measure even using a threat of the girls life. He is severely terrible and obscene. Under the shelter of religion, what we can see is an unsettled soul filled with lust and craze. We cannot deny that Frollo loved Esmeralda even if let him give up his faith in GOD in his whole life. However, his dark inner world made this love too crazy and terrible. If he could not get what he wanted, he would destroy it immediately. This novel implies that true love does not just mean occupying but giving. In some degree, love is more of sacrifice. Perhaps the