# The Man Who Laughs: A Romance of English History

By Victor Hugo.

"The Man Who Laughs: A Romance of English History" by Victor Hugo is a Gothic novel published in 1869. Set in late 17th-century England, it follows Gwynplaine, a young nobleman disfigured as a child by royal command, his face carved into a permanent grin. Traveling with a philosopher and a blind girl he rescued, Gwynplaine becomes a carnival performer whose grotesque smile provokes laughter and desire. When his true identity surfaces, he's thrust into a cruel aristocratic world that destroyed him, forcing a confrontation between his past and present. (Summary by Project Gutenberg, written by machine.)

- Language: English
- Subjects: Historical fiction; Great Britain -- History -- Anne, 1702-1714 -- Fiction; England -- Fiction; Clowns -- Fiction; Mouth -- Wounds and injuries -- Fiction; Traveling theater -- Fiction; Great Britain -- History -- James II, 1685-1688 -- Fiction

[Read it](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/books/gutenberg/12587/read)
[Plain text](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/api/books/gutenberg/12587/text)

## Audiobooks of it

- [Man Who Laughs](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/books/librivox/4314) by Victor Hugo (24 h 52 min, English)

From Project Gutenberg. Public domain in the United States.