Chapter 54 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter LIV
Chapter 54 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS. Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him. Hence the contempt felt for the comedian. This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me. What evil can I do him in return?
Chapter 54 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
a professional performer who tells jokes and performs comical acts
From this reading “Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.”
plural of “console” — a small table fixed to a wall or designed to stand against a wall
From this reading “This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.”
third-person singular of “distract” — draw someone's attention away from something
From this reading “This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.”
third-person singular of “divert” — turn aside; turn away from
From this reading “This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.”
plural of “fling” — a usually brief attempt
From this reading “This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.”
possessive form of “outsider” — someone who is excluded from or is not a member of a group
third-person singular of “please” — give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.”
plural of “teach” — an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean and off the Atlantic coast of North America (died in 1718)
From this reading “This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.”
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 Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
conforming to your own liking or feelings or nature
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
plural of “charm” — attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
a professional performer who tells jokes and performs comical acts
From this reading Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.
plural of “console” — a small table fixed to a wall or designed to stand against a wall
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.
third-person singular of “distract” — draw someone's attention away from something
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
third-person singular of “divert” — turn aside; turn away from
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.
plural of “fling” — a usually brief attempt
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
for this reason
From this reading Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
moving to the inside of something
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
the force of workers available
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
possessive form of “outsider” — someone who is excluded from or is not a member of a group
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
third-person singular of “please” — give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
plural of “teach” — an English pirate who operated in the Caribbean and off the Atlantic coast of North America (died in 1718)
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hence the contempt felt for the comedian.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
being of use or service
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading AN OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF MEN AND THINGS.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What evil can I do him in return?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Man has a notion of revenging himself on that which pleases him.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading This being charms me, diverts, distracts, teaches, enchants, consoles me; flings me into an ideal world, is agreeable and useful to me.
Chapter 54 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 54 holds 159 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 54 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 54 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
