The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Victor Hugo's 1831 Gothic Romantic novel set in 15th-century Paris — following Quasimodo the bell-ringer, Esmeralda the dancer, and the archdeacon Frollo — which also argued passionately for the preservation of Gothic architecture against modernization.

Functions as both a Romantic Gothic tragedy and a political argument — Hugo wrote it partly to prevent the demolition of Notre-Dame Cathedral, effectively saving the building by generating public sentiment — making it a case study in how fiction can produce real-world conservation outcomes.