ossible. Hitherto,
while in novel at least he has very doubtfully been an _enfant sublime_,
he has most unquestionably been an _enfant_. Whatever faults may be
chargeable on his third novel or romance proper, they include no more
childishness than he displayed throughout his life, and not nearly so
much as he often did later.

The book, moreover, to adopt and adapt the language of another matter,
whether disputably or indisputably great in itself, is unquestionably so
"by position." It is one of the chief manifestos--there are some who
have held, and perhaps would still hold, that it is _the_ chief
manifesto and example--of one of the most remarkable and momentous of
literary movements--the great French Romantic revolt of
_mil-huit-cent-trente_. It had for a time enormous popularity, extending
to many who had not the slightest interest in it as such a manifesto; it
affected not merely its own literature, but others, and other arts
besides literature, both in its own and other countries. To whatever
extent this popularity may have been affected--first by the transference
of interest from the author's "letters" to his politics and sociology,
and secondly, by the reaction in general esteem which followed his
death--it is not very necessary to enquire. One certainly sees fewer,
indeed, positively few, references to it and to its contents now. But it
was so bright a planet when it first came into ken; it exercised its
influence so long and so largely; that even if it now glows fainter it
is worth exploring, and the analysis of the composition of its light is
worth putting on record.

[Sidenote: The story easy to anticipate.]

In the case of a book which, whether it has or has not undergone some
occultation as suggested, is still kept on sale not merely in the
original, but in cheap translations into every European tongue, there is
probably no need to include an actual "argument" in this analysis. As a
novel or at least romance, _Notre-Dame de Paris_ contains a story of the
late fifteenth century, the chief characters of which are the Spanish
gipsy[96] dancing-girl Esmeralda, with her goat Djali; Quasimodo, the
hunchbacked dwarf and bell-ringer of the cathedral; one of its
archdeacons, Claude Frollo, theologian, philosopher, expert in, but
contemner of, physical and astrological science, and above all,
alchemist, if not sorcerer; the handsome and gallant, but "not
intelligent" and not very chivalrous soldier Phoebus de Cha