Chapter 49 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XLIX
Chapter 49 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD. Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted. These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed. The widowed were betrothed. An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
Chapter 49 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
federal agency responsible for enforcing laws and regulations governing narcotics and controlled substances; goal is to immobilize drug trafficking organizations
From this reading “Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.”
so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly
From this reading “These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.”
psychological suffering
From this reading “An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.”
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading “These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.”
plural of “orphan” — a child who has lost both parents
From this reading “These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.”
-ing form of “rely” — have faith or confidence in
From this reading “Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.”
fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag
From this reading “An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.”
single because of death of the spouse
From this reading “The widowed were betrothed.”
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.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
(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 These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
pledged to be married
From this reading The widowed were betrothed.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
federal agency responsible for enforcing laws and regulations governing narcotics and controlled substances; goal is to immobilize drug trafficking organizations
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
psychological suffering
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
defying expression
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
plural of “orphan” — a child who has lost both parents
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
-ing form of “rely” — have faith or confidence in
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD.
fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading An inexpressible thanksgiving arose out of their distress.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THE BLUE SKY THROUGH THE BLACK CLOUD.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading Thus lived these unfortunate creatures together--Dea, relying; Gwynplaine, accepted.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These orphans were all in all to each other, the feeble and the deformed.
single because of death of the spouse
From this reading The widowed were betrothed.
Chapter 49 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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.
Chapter 49 holds 102 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 49 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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.
Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 49 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.
Common questions about reading The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Laughs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Man Who Laughs to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
