The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Book 5, Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Hugo represents medieval society as a society on the cusp of enormous change. The novel is set at the end of the medieval period, which was about to transition into the Renaissance (a period of intense philosophical and scientific development in Europe). While medieval society was primarily organized around the Church, increased literacy among common people and new understanding of the natural world—which contradicted many medieval superstitions and religious beliefs—meant that people would soon question the Church’s power. Ultimately, the Church went into decline. After the invention of the printing press in 1440, books gradually became easily accessible and cheap to produce. Buildings, on the other hand, were still very expensive to construct and people began to express themselves in writing, rather than through architecture.

Hugo suggests that in early societies, which did not have access to modern technologies such as the printing press, people used architecture to express cultural ideas and beliefs. Historical buildings, therefore, can be read like books that contain information about  historical societies.

Cultural shifts can be seen in architecture because, as culture changes, so does the architecture it produces. As people discover new ideas (such as those brought back from the Middle East during the Crusades) and as institutions gain or lose power, these changes are reflected in architecture.

Architecture is not only a functional art form (in that it provides buildings for people to live in and use), but also an expressive art form that reflects societal values and shifts in culture. Hugo believes that large groups of people have the power to undermine authoritarian institutions (like the Church, which was extremely powerful before and during the medieval period). The decline of the Church throughout the medieval period is reflected in the architecture of the period, which gradually moves out of the Church’s control and is used to express individual ideas, rather than monolithic, authoritarian ones.

The early Church was extremely powerful, and people did not have the freedom to publicly or privately contradict its ideas. The decline of the Church’s power can be traced in the architecture of the medieval period as people began to express their own, individual points of view—even in carvings on literal churches. The fact that buildings were considered a safe form of rebellion (because so many people work on a building that it’s impossible to blame anyone specific) highlights Hugo’s broader point that even powerless people can gain strength by joining together.

The printing press, which was invented in the 1400s, made books more available and increased literacy. This meant that, for the first time, ordinary people were free to express their points of view in writing and be easily understood by others. Although people might be punished for what they wrote, it was difficult for the Church to censor their ideas, as books could be quickly and easily reproduced.

Before books became widely available, people largely relied on the Church for knowledge and education, as members of the Church were usually the only people who had access to written manuscripts or who could read. Therefore, the rise of printed books much more power to average people, even as it diminished the role of architecture in transmitting knowledge.

The Reformation, which was a split in the Church brought about by Martin Luther’s criticisms of Church doctrine, was largely driven by printed pamphlets and the idea that everyone should be able to read the Bible for themselves, rather than relying on the Church for religious teaching.

Hugo suggests that the decline of architecture as an art form was inevitable because people no longer needed to express themselves in this way but could instead use cheaper, more individualized methods, such as the written word.

Hugo suggests that humans are fundamentally expressive and always need a way to channel their passions and ideas. This suggestion echoes the tension in Frollo’s character and subtly foreshadows that he’ll have to do something to express himself—he can’t keep his passions bottled up forever.

Hugo does not believe that ordinary people in early societies were barbarous. It wasn’t that they didn’t have sophisticated ideas, but rather that, unlike people in modern society, they did not have a cheap and reproducible way to express these ideas. Although historical buildings were often commissioned by kings or Church authorities, Hugo suggests that these buildings still reflect the perspectives of ordinary people, because ordinary people contributed to their construction. The Tower of Babel is a biblical story in which the nations of the world try to build a tower to Heaven. As punishment, God splits the languages up into different tongues so that people cannot understand each other. Art, Hugo suggests, is a tool to fight ignorance and to help people communicate, whether they do so in the form of architecture or through written books.