Why was "Notre Dame de Paris" changed from "Notre Dame of Paris" to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" when it was re-published in English?

Question

In the foreword to my copy of *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*, Elizabeth Massie writes this:> Victor Hugo's early novel, *Notre Dame de Paris*, published in 1831 and set in medieval Paris of 1482, was the work that made his reputation outside his native France. First translated into English in 1833 by William Hazlitt the Younger as *Notre Dame of Paris*, the novel was released only a few months later in a second translation as *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*, and has been known to English speakers by this title ever since.Why was this title changed? Why not keep the title more accurate to the original French title?

Answer 1

I think it has to do with the type of English-language literature that was popular at the time of the book's first translation. Hugo wrote Notre-Dame de Paris to promote the preservation of this historic building, so naturally, the book was about the building, which the title suggests. On the other hand, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame puts the focus on the story's characters rather than its setting. When the first English translation was published in 1833, the most popular type of English-language literature was the novel, whose narrative style centered around characters.

Answer 2

I agree with Nathaniel H.: money and salesmanship. Many a title has been adopted to sell books,even if the cover is only remotely related to the contents of the book. At least "Hunchback of Notre Dame" was to a major point of Hugo's manuscript.

Answer 3

The basic answer and reason for your question would be...money. To sell books the publishers decided there needed to be a draw to the book, and a "hunchback" brings to mind abnormalities and difference from the norm which was thought to bring about more sales than just a church. This type of change when translating happens often, especially to attract and entice those of a different cultural background.