All 8 Uses of

glimpse

in

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

At the first moment there had arisen from his poet's head, or, simply and prosaically, from his empty stomach, a mist, a vapor, so to speak, which, spreading between objects and himself, permitted him to catch a glimpse of them only in the incoherent fog of nightmare,—in those shadows of dreams which distort every outline, agglomerating objects into unwieldy groups, dilating things into chimeras, and men into phantoms.†
Chpt 1.2.6

glimpse = a quick look or partial understanding

Recall these impressions, and you will readily appreciate what Gringoire felt on contemplating, beneath her visible and palpable form, that Esmeralda of whom, up to that time, he had only caught a glimpse, amidst a whirlwind of dance, song, and tumult.†
Chpt 1.2.7

Lastly, in the intervals of these roofs, of these spires, of these accidents of numberless edifices, which bent and writhed, and jagged in so eccentric a manner the extreme line of the University, one caught a glimpse, here and there, of a great expanse of moss-grown wall, a thick, round tower, a crenellated city gate, shadowing forth the fortress; it was the wall of Philip Augustus.†
Chpt 1.3.2

From the length of the veil which fell from their pointed coif, twined with pearls, to their heels, from the fineness of the embroidered chemisette which covered their shoulders and allowed a glimpse, according to the pleasing custom of the time, of the swell of their fair virgin bosoms, from the opulence of their under-petticoats still more precious than their overdress (marvellous refinement), from the gauze, the silk, the velvet, with which all this was composed, and, above all, from the whiteness of their hands, which certified to their leisure and idleness, it was easy to divine they were noble and wealthy heiresses.†
Chpt 2.7.1

At the most she occasionally caught a glimpse at the summit of the towers, of the bellringer's face turned sadly to her.†
Chpt 2.9.4 *

But the young girl had had time to catch a glimpse of it; her eyes closed again with terror.†
Chpt 2.9.6

A glimpse could be caught of him in the obscurity, in the bow of the boat, like a spectre.†
Chpt 2.11.1

Definition:

a quick look or partial understanding

The exact meaning of glimpse can depend upon its context. For example:

"I caught a glimpse of her when I was walking to class." -- a very quick look
"I glimpsed at the headlines." -- looked quickly
"Reading the book gave me a glimpse of the life of a devout Muslim immigrant in America." -- a quick, incomplete view