# II: This Will Kill That explained — Notre-Dame de Paris

> Chapter companion for Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

The chapter explores the archdeacon Claude Frollo's cryptic statement 'This will kill that,' interpreting it as a prophecy that the printing press will supplant architecture as the primary medium of human thought. It traces the history of architecture as humanity's great book—from stone alphabets and monuments to cathedrals—and argues that the printed book, cheaper and more durable, has irrevocably killed architecture's dominance, shifting expression from stone to paper.

## Themes in this chapter

### Architecture and Preservation

Architecture is presented as humanity's original 'book'—a durable, monumental record of thought and tradition, now superseded by the printed book.

### Religion and Hypocrisy

The priestly fear of the printing press reveals the Church's anxiety over losing control of thought and faith, as the press enables emancipation and challenges dogma.

## Character check-ins

### Dom Claude Frollo

Archdeacon whose enigmatic words 'This will kill that' are the focus of the chapter; his thought is analyzed as both a priestly fear of the press and a philosophical insight into the decline of architecture.

## Key lines

> This will kill that. The book will kill the edifice.

The printing press will destroy architecture as the primary medium of human expression.

_Central thesis of the chapter, attributed to Claude Frollo, symbolizing the shift from stone to paper._

> Architecture is dead; irretrievably slain by the printed book—slain because it endures for a shorter time—slain because it costs more.

Architecture has been definitively replaced by printing, as books are quicker and cheaper to produce than monumental buildings.

_Summarizes the chapter's argument for the demise of architecture as the dominant art form._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/notre_dame_de_paris_se/chapters/ii-this-will-kill-that
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/notre_dame_de_paris_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/notre_dame_de_paris_se/chapters