Study Guide

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Author's Preface

By Victor Hugo

Author's Preface

  • So, this one time, the author was putzing around Notre-Dame in Paris when he came across some medieval graffiti in Greek (that's how they roll in Paris, we guess): ANÁΓKH.
  • It means "fate" or "fatality," for you small minority of people out there who can't read Ancient Greek.
  • Since then, Notre-Dame has undergone some renovations that have scraped this bit of history (and the story behind it) away. Eventually, Notre-Dame, too, will just disappear.