We have some very intelligent readers who come up with very interesting
ideas. Here’s one of the best from the last few days:
“Mr. Derbyshire—Based on your review and because I now have a daughter in
college I picked up and have just finished reading I Am Charlotte Simmons.
It occurred to me that there were some slight character parallels, perhaps
echoes, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
“According to my thinking they are as follows:
“Quasimodo (Pope of Fools) —- Jojo
“Archdeacon Claude Frollo — Buster Roth for one facet of his personality
(the adoptive father) , Prof. Quat for another(the twisted moralist) and
Prof. Starling for yet another ( the alchemist)
“Jehan Frollo — Hoyt Thorpe
“Esmerelda — Charlotte Simmons
“Pierre Gringoire — Adam Gellin
“Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier — Beverly
“Phoebus de Chateaupers — Vance
“Perhaps you havent read Hunchback since prep school, but still I hope you
find this idea of some interest.
“Sincerely — [Name]“
I love this kind of thing. I reread Hunchback 6-7 yrs ago, when my kids
were little & the Disney version came out. I saw the Disney thing, thought:
“I don’t recall it being ANYTHING like that,” went & reread the book, & was
pleased to find it the same sinister riot of sadism, necrophilia, gratuitous
violence & soft porn that I remembered so fondly from my adolescence.
Should be sold in a brown paper bag.