The Man Who Laughs: L'Homme Qui RitMoving away from the explicitly political content of his previous novels, Victor Hugo turns to social commentary in The Man Who Laughs, an 1869 work that was made into a popular film in the 1920s. The plot deals with a band of miscreants who deliberately deform children to make them more effective beggars, as well as the long-lasting emotional and social damage that this abhorrent practice inflicts upon its victims. |
Contents
Chapter IX Absurdities Which Folks Without Taste Call Poetry | 380 |
Chapter X An Outsiders View of Men and Things | 387 |
Chapter XI Gwynplaine Thinks Justice and Ursus Talks Truth | 394 |
Chapter XII Ursus the Poet Drags on Ursus the Philosopher | 403 |
BOOK THE THIRD THE BEGINNING OF THE FISSURE | 407 |
Chapter I The Tadcaster Inn | 408 |
Chapter II OpenAir Eloquence | 412 |
Chapter III Where the PasserBy Reappears | 418 |
| 72 | |
| 78 | |
| 86 | |
BOOK THE SECOND THE HOOKER AT SEA | 92 |
Chapter I Superhuman Laws | 93 |
Chapter II Our First Rough Sketches Filled In | 97 |
Chapter III Troubled Men on the Troubled Sea | 102 |
Chapter IV A Cloud Different from the Others Enters on the Scene | 108 |
Chapter V Hardquanonne | 124 |
Chapter VI They Think that Help is at Hand | 127 |
Chapter VII Superhuman Horrors | 129 |
Chapter VIII Nix et Nox | 134 |
Chapter IX The Charge Confided to a Raging Sea | 138 |
Chapter X The Colossal Savage the Storm | 140 |
Chapter XI The Caskets | 145 |
Chapter XII Face to Face with the Rock | 148 |
Chapter XIII Face to Face with Night | 153 |
Chapter XIV Ortach | 155 |
Chapter XV Portentosum Mare | 157 |
Chapter XVI The Problem Suddenly Works in Silence | 164 |
Chapter XVII The Last Resource | 167 |
Chapter XVIII The Highest Resource | 173 |
BOOK THE THIRD THE CHILD IN THE SHADOW | 184 |
Chapter I Chesil | 185 |
Chapter II The Effect of Snow | 191 |
Chapter III A Burden Makes a Rough Road Rougher | 197 |
Chapter IV Another Form of Desert | 203 |
Chapter V Misanthropy Plays its Pranks | 209 |
Chapter VI The Awaking | 229 |
PART II | 235 |
MAN REFLECTS MAN | 236 |
Chapter I Lord Clancharlie | 237 |
Chapter II Lord David DirryMoir | 250 |
Chapter III The Duchess Josiana | 258 |
Chapter IV The Leader of Fashion | 268 |
Chapter V Queen Anne | 276 |
Chapter VI Barkilphedro | 284 |
Chapter VII Barkilphedro Gnaws His Way | 293 |
Chapter VIII Inferi | 300 |
Chapter IX Hate is as Strong as Love | 303 |
Chapter X The Flame Which Would Be Seen if Man Were Transparent | 312 |
Chapter XI Barkilphedro in Ambuscade | 321 |
Chapter XII Scotland Ireland and England | 327 |
BOOK THE SECOND GWYNPLAINE AND DEA | 340 |
Chapter I Wherein We See the Face of Him of Whom We Have Hitherto Seen Only the Acts | 341 |
Chapter II Dea | 347 |
Chapter III Oculos Non Habet et Videt | 350 |
Chapter IV WellMatched Lovers | 353 |
Chapter V The Blue Sky through the Black Cloud | 357 |
Chapter VI Ursus as Tutor and Ursus as Guardian | 362 |
Chapter VII Blindness Gives Lessons in Clairvoyance | 368 |
Chapter VIII Not Only Happiness but Prosperity | 373 |
Chapter IV Contraries Fraternize in Hate | 426 |
Chapter V The Wapentake | 432 |
Chapter VI The Mouse Examined by the Cats | 438 |
Chapter VII Why Should a Gold Piece Lower Itself by Mixing with a Heap of Pennies? | 452 |
Chapter VIII Symptoms of Poisoning | 461 |
Chapter IX Abyssus Abyssum Vocat | 467 |
BOOK THE FOURTH THE CELL OF TORTURE | 478 |
Chapter I The Temptation of St Gwynplaine | 479 |
Chapter II From Gay to Grave | 488 |
Chapter III Lex Rex Fex | 497 |
Chapter IV Ursus Spies the Police | 500 |
Chapter V A Fearful Place | 507 |
Chapter VI The Kind of Magistracy Under the Wigs of Former Days | 510 |
Chapter VII Shuddering | 515 |
Chapter VIII Lamentation | 518 |
BOOK THE FIFTH THE SEA AND FATE ARE MOVED BY THE SAME BREATH | 538 |
Chapter I The Durability of Fragile Things | 539 |
Chapter II The Waif Knows its Own Course | 552 |
Chapter III An Awakening | 566 |
Chapter IV Fascination | 570 |
Chapter V We Think We Remember We Forget | 578 |
BOOK THE SIXTH URSUS UNDER DIFFERENT ASPECTS | 587 |
Chapter I What the Misanthrope Said | 588 |
Chapter II What He Did | 592 |
Chapter III Complications | 609 |
Chapter IV Moenibus Surdis Campana Muta | 615 |
Chapter V State Policy Deals with Little Matters as Well as with Great | 623 |
BOOK THE SEVENTH THE TITANESS | 637 |
Chapter I The Awakening | 638 |
Chapter II The Resemblance of a Palace to a Wood | 642 |
Chapter III Eve | 647 |
Chapter IV Satan | 655 |
Chapter V They Recognize but Do Not Know Each Other | 668 |
BOOK THE EIGHTH THE CAPITOL AND THINGS AROUND IT | 672 |
Chapter I Analysis of Majestic Matters | 673 |
Chapter II Impartiality | 689 |
Chapter III The Old Hall | 698 |
Chapter IV The Old Chamber | 705 |
Chapter V Aristocratic Gossip | 711 |
Chapter VI The High and the Low | 723 |
Chapter VII Storms of Men Are Worse than Storms of Oceans | 729 |
Chapter VIII He Would Be a Good Brother Were He Not a Good Son | 751 |
BOOK THE NINTH IN RUINS | 758 |
Chapter I It is through Excess of Greatness that Man Reaches Excess of Misery | 759 |
Chapter II The Dregs | 764 |
CONCLUSION THE NIGHT AND THE SEA | 785 |
Chapter I A WatchDog May Be a Guardian Angel | 786 |
Chapter II Barkilphedro Having Aimed at the Eagle Brings Down the Dove | 792 |
Chapter III Paradise Regained Below | 801 |
Chapter IV Nay On High | 809 |
Endnotes | 818 |
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Common terms and phrases
answer appeared arms Barkilphedro Baron beautiful become believe blind called carried Chapter child Clancharlie closed continued court covered cried crowd darkness David dead doctor door dream Duke Earl England entered everything existence eyes face fall fear feel feet felt followed four France give given going Green Gwynplaine hand happy head heard heart hold Homo hour House Josiana justice kind king knew laugh letter light live London longer looked Lord Master means mind mouth nature never night once passed peer perhaps placed poor possible queen raised reached remained round royal seemed seen shadow sheriff side silence snow sometimes soul speak steps stone suddenly taken things thought took turned Ursus vessel voice wall wave wind wolf woman