Chapter 52 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter LII
Chapter 52 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY. What true things are told in stories! The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought. In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse. Sometimes he felt regret.
Chapter 52 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
ruined by overcooking
From this reading “The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.”
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
From this reading “The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.”
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
From this reading “The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.”
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading “NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY.”
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading “The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.”
of wines, fruit, cheeses; having reached a desired or final condition; (“aged” pronounced as one syllable)
From this reading “In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.”
a mark left (usually on the skin) by the healing of injured tissue
From this reading “The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.”
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading “The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
ruined by overcooking
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Sometimes he felt regret.
a cruel wicked and inhuman person
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
not any; not one
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
and nothing more
From this reading NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY.
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading NOT ONLY HAPPINESS, BUT PROSPERITY.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading Sometimes he felt regret.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
of wines, fruit, cheeses; having reached a desired or final condition; (“aged” pronounced as one syllable)
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
a mark left (usually on the skin) by the healing of injured tissue
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes he felt regret.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading In Gwynplaine evil thoughts never ripened, and he had therefore no remorse.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
having come into contact
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What true things are told in stories!
which person or people
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The burnt scar of the invisible fiend who has touched you is remorse for a wicked thought.
Chapter 52 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 52 holds 95 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 52 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 52 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.
