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The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs

Chapter LVI · Chapter 56

Chapter 56 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.
Then Dea entered.
He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.
This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.
Let us mention a circumstance.
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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 LVI · Chapter 56

Chapter 56 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.
/ˈɜːrsəs ðə ˈpoʊət dræɡz ɑːn ˈɜːrsəs ðə fəˈlɑːsəfər/
Line 2
Then Dea entered.
/ðen diː ˈentərd/
Line 3
He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.
/hiː lʊkt æt hɜːr ənd sɔː ˈnʌθɪŋ bʌt hɜːr/
Line 4
This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.
Line 5
Let us mention a circumstance.
/let ʌs ˈmenʃən ə ˈsɜːrkəmstæns/

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.

Dea noun US /diː/

federal agency responsible for enforcing laws and regulations governing narcotics and controlled substances; goal is to immobilize drug trafficking organizations

From this reading “Then Dea entered.”

drags noun US /dræɡz/

plural of “drag” — the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid

From this reading “URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.”

dreaming noun US /ˈdriːmɪŋ/

imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake

From this reading “This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.”

effacing verb US /ɪˈfeɪsɪŋ/

-ing form of “efface” — remove completely from recognition or memory

From this reading “This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.”

enters verb US /ˈentərz/

third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading “This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.”

fades noun US /feɪdz/

plural of “fade” — a golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer

From this reading “This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.”

philosopher noun US /fəˈlɑːsəfər/

a specialist in philosophy

From this reading “URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.”

ursus noun US /ˈɜːrsəs/

type genus of Ursidae: brown bears; in some classifications genus Ursus includes all bears

From this reading “URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.”

All words in this reading · 56

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 This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

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 This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

appertainverb

be a part or attribute of

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

belovedadjectiveUS /bɪˈlʌvd/

dearly loved

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

circumstancenounUS /ˈsɜːrkəmstæns/

a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity

From this reading Let us mention a circumstance.

DeanounUS /diː/

federal agency responsible for enforcing laws and regulations governing narcotics and controlled substances; goal is to immobilize drug trafficking organizations

From this reading Then Dea entered.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

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

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

DRAGSnounUS /dræɡz/

plural of “drag” — the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid

From this reading URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.

dreamingnounUS /ˈdriːmɪŋ/

imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

effacingverbUS /ɪˈfeɪsɪŋ/

-ing form of “efface” — remove completely from recognition or memory

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Then Dea entered.

entersverbUS /ˈentərz/

third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

fadesnounUS /feɪdz/

plural of “fade” — a golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

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

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

immediatelyadverbUS /ˌɪˈmiːdiːətli/

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

importunitynoun

insistent solicitation and entreaty

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Let us mention a circumstance.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

mentionverbUS /ˈmenʃən/

make reference to

From this reading Let us mention a circumstance.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

PHILOSOPHERnounUS /fəˈlɑːsəfər/

a specialist in philosophy

From this reading URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.

POETnounUS /ˈpoʊət/

a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.

presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading He looked at her, and saw nothing but her.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then Dea entered.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

URSUSnounUS /ˈɜːrsəs/

type genus of Ursidae: brown bears; in some classifications genus Ursus includes all bears

From this reading URSUS THE POET DRAGS ON URSUS THE PHILOSOPHER.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading This is love; one may be carried away for a moment by the importunity of some other idea, but the beloved one enters, and all that does not appertain to her presence immediately fades away, without her dreaming that perhaps she is effacing in us a world.

Chapter 56 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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 56 of The Man Who Laughs contain?

Chapter 56 holds 56 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 56 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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 56 of The Man Who Laughs?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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 56 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 56 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.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

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