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The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.
There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.
Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.
Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.
When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Man Who Laughs

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.
Line 2
There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.
/ðer ɪz wʌn θɪŋ ðə moʊst ˈpresɪŋ ʌv ɔːl tuː biː ənˈɡreɪtfəl/
Line 3
Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.
Line 4
Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.
Line 5
When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

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.

benefits noun US /ˈbenəfɪts/

plural of “benefit” — financial assistance in time of need

From this reading “Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.”

dependent adjective US /dɪˈpendənt/

relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed

From this reading “When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.”

gnaws verb US /nɔːz/

third-person singular of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth

From this reading “BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.”

illustrious adjective US /ˌɪˈlʌstriəs/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading “When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.”

necessarily adverb US /ˌnesəˈserəli/

in an essential manner

From this reading “When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.”

obscure verb US /əbsˈkjʊr/

make less visible or unclear

From this reading “When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.”

therein adverb US /ðeˈrɪn/

(formal) in or into that thing or place

From this reading “Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.”

ungrateful adjective US /ənˈɡreɪtfəl/

not feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading “There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

addverbUS /æd/

make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

BARKILPHEDRO

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

From this reading BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

benefitsnounUS /ˈbenəfɪts/

plural of “benefit” — financial assistance in time of need

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

dependentadjectiveUS /dɪˈpendənt/

relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

GNAWSverbUS /nɔːz/

third-person singular of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth

From this reading BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

Havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.

illustriousadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈlʌstriəs/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

Josiana

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

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

naturallyadverbUS /ˈnætʃərəli/

as might be expected

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

necessarilyadverbUS /ˌnesəˈserəli/

in an essential manner

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.

obscureverbUS /əbsˈkjʊr/

make less visible or unclear

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

powerfuladjectiveUS /ˈpaʊərfəl/

having great power or force or potency or effect

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

pressingnounUS /ˈpresɪŋ/

the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

revengenounUS /riˈvendʒ/

action taken in return for an injury or offense

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

thereinadverbUS /ðeˈrɪn/

(formal) in or into that thing or place

From this reading Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Having received so many benefits from Josiana, he had naturally but one thought--to revenge himself on her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

uglyadjectiveUS /ˈʌɡli/

displeasing to the senses

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

ungratefuladjectiveUS /ənˈɡreɪtfəl/

not feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading There is one thing the most pressing of all: to be ungrateful.

wantingadjectiveUS /ˈwɑːntɪŋ/

nonexistent

From this reading Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Barkilphedro was not wanting therein.

WAYnounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading BARKILPHEDRO GNAWS HIS WAY.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

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

From this reading When we add that Josiana was beautiful, great, young, rich, powerful, illustrious, while Barkilphedro was ugly, little, old, poor, dependent, obscure, he must necessarily revenge himself for all this as well.

Chapter 39 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 39 of The Man Who Laughs contain?

Chapter 39 holds 118 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 39 of The Man Who Laughs?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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.

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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
One of the 0 chapters of The Man Who Laughs, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Man Who Laughs, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.