Why is Victor Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame de Paris also called The Hunchback of Notre-Dame?

Victor Hugo’s novel, originally published in French in 1831 as Notre-Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris"), is widely known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame because the story centers on Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.1

Quasimodo is the novel's protagonist, and his physical condition—specifically his hunchback—serves as his defining characteristic throughout the narrative. While Hugo originally conceived the work as a story about the cathedral itself to advocate for the preservation of Gothic architecture, the title shift in English-speaking regions emphasizes the iconic, pitiable, and courageous character of Quasimodo, who remains a classic symbol of a noble heart hidden beneath a grotesque exterior.21