The Man Who Laughs A Romance of English History
By Victor Hugo
5/5
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Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was a French poet and novelist. Born in Besançon, Hugo was the son of a general who served in the Napoleonic army. Raised on the move, Hugo was taken with his family from one outpost to the next, eventually setting with his mother in Paris in 1803. In 1823, he published his first novel, launching a career that would earn him a reputation as a leading figure of French Romanticism. His Gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) was a bestseller throughout Europe, inspiring the French government to restore the legendary cathedral to its former glory. During the reign of King Louis-Philippe, Hugo was elected to the National Assembly of the French Second Republic, where he spoke out against the death penalty and poverty while calling for public education and universal suffrage. Exiled during the rise of Napoleon III, Hugo lived in Guernsey from 1855 to 1870. During this time, he published his literary masterpiece Les Misérables (1862), a historical novel which has been adapted countless times for theater, film, and television. Towards the end of his life, he advocated for republicanism around Europe and across the globe, cementing his reputation as a defender of the people and earning a place at Paris’ Panthéon, where his remains were interred following his death from pneumonia. His final words, written on a note only days before his death, capture the depth of his belief in humanity: “To love is to act.”
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Reviews for The Man Who Laughs A Romance of English History
4 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really, really wanted to love this story but... Hugo was a great writer. there is no doubt about it. But this story has so many peaks and valleys that it is almost unbearable. Until now I thought Melmoth the Wanderer was the most difficult book I've read. I wanted to love this book so bad. But reading it was like swimming through concrete. The parts with our protagonist were incredible. The main characters are very memorable. The down points are Hugo and his penchant for pointless description. Pages of peoples names, who they were and what they did. This honestly served no point to the story. Unlike the Hunchback they had no purpose. It is a sad story, a moving story and one I won't forget for a very long time. But even for a piece in its time it is very slow.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Perhaps not as famous as some of his other work, this chunky novel by Victor Hugo nonetheless deserves to be read. His usual emphatic vision and majestic prose describe the tragic and infinitely touching story of Gwynplaine, a disfigured boy in 17th century England condemned to exhibiting himself in fairs for the mob's enjoyment. He loves his companion, Dea, who is able to love him back because she is blind and can only see his noble heart. What could be clumsily told by another less talented writer becomes, in the hands of Hugo, a universal pamphlet for humanity and against injustice. The plot might seem basic, but wait for the twist...
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