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The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs

Chapter XXXIV · Chapter 34

Chapter 34 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LORD DAVID DIRRY-MOIR.
I.
Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.
We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text Woman”), betrays a seditious man.
Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Man Who Laughs

Chapter XXXIV · Chapter 34

Chapter 34 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LORD DAVID DIRRY-MOIR.
Line 2
I.
/aɪ/
Line 3
Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.
Line 4
We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the textWoman”), betrays a seditious man.
/wiː noʊ frʌm ˈherɪsən ənd praɪd ðæt ˈkrɑːmwəl wen jʌŋ lʌvd ˈwɪmən ənd ˈpleʒər ə teɪst wɪtʃ æt taɪmz əˈnʌðər ˈriːdɪŋ ʌv ðə tekst ˈwʊmən bɪˈtreɪz ə sɪˈdɪʃəs mæn/
Line 5
Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

betrays verb US /bɪˈtreɪz/

third-person singular of “betray” — reveal unintentionally

From this reading “We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.”

Cromwell noun US /ˈkrɑːmwəl/

English general and statesman who led the parliamentary army in the English Civil War (1599-1658)

From this reading “We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.”

Distrust noun US /dɪˈstrʌst/

doubt about someone's honesty

From this reading “Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.”

girdle noun US /ˈɡɜːrdəl/

an encircling or ringlike structure

From this reading “Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.”

Harrison noun US /ˈherɪsən/

English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)

From this reading “We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.”

phase noun US /feɪz/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading “Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.”

proscribed adjective US /proʊˈskraɪbd/

excluded from use or mention

From this reading “Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.”

seditious adjective US /sɪˈdɪʃəs/

arousing to action or rebellion

From this reading “We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.”

All words in this reading · 47

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

betraysverbUS /bɪˈtreɪz/

third-person singular of “betray” — reveal unintentionally

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

Clancharlie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

CromwellnounUS /ˈkrɑːmwəl/

English general and statesman who led the parliamentary army in the English Civil War (1599-1658)

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

DAVIDnounUS /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading LORD DAVID DIRRY-MOIR.

DIRRY-MOIR

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LORD DAVID DIRRY-MOIR.

DistrustnounUS /dɪˈstrʌst/

doubt about someone's honesty

From this reading Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

girdlenounUS /ˈɡɜːrdəl/

an encircling or ringlike structure

From this reading Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

HarrisonnounUS /ˈherɪsən/

English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

Linnæus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

loosely-clasped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Distrust the loosely-clasped girdle.

LORDnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading LORD DAVID DIRRY-MOIR.

lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

passionnounUS /ˈpæʃən/

a strong feeling or emotion

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

phasenounUS /feɪz/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

PridenounUS /praɪd/

a feeling of self-respect and personal worth

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

proscribedadjectiveUS /proʊˈskraɪbd/

excluded from use or mention

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/

the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

seditiousadjectiveUS /sɪˈdɪʃəs/

arousing to action or rebellion

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

tasteverbUS /teɪst/

To perceive flavor through the mouth.

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

WomannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading We know from Harrison and Pride that Cromwell, when young, loved women and pleasure, a taste which, at times (another reading of the text “Woman”), betrays a seditious man.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Lord Linnæus Clancharlie had not always been old and proscribed; he had had his phase of youth and passion.

Chapter 34 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 34 of The Man Who Laughs contain?

Chapter 34 holds 111 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 34 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 34 of The Man Who Laughs?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 34 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 34 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Man Who Laughs

Common questions about reading The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Man Who Laughs?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Man Who Laughs is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Man Who Laughs take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Man Who Laughs section by section

How to work through The Man Who Laughs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in The Man Who Laughs

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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