Chapter 88 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter LXXXVIII
Chapter 88 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER. Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch. The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point. His thoughts no longer resembled thoughts. They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
Chapter 88 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.”
-ing form of “culminate” — end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
From this reading “The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.”
past form of “overflow” — flow or run over (a limit or brim)
From this reading “They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.”
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading “They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.”
past form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading “His thoughts no longer resembled thoughts.”
a public act of violence by an unruly mob
From this reading “They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.”
moderately warm
From this reading “Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.”
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
From this reading “They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.”
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 They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
extreme mental distress
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
-ing form of “culminate” — end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
for more time
From this reading His thoughts no longer resembled thoughts.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
not any; not one
From this reading His thoughts no longer resembled thoughts.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
past form of “overflow” — flow or run over (a limit or brim)
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The confusion in his mind had reached its culminating point.
accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
past form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading His thoughts no longer resembled thoughts.
a public act of violence by an unruly mob
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
moderately warm
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THEY RECOGNIZE, BUT DO NOT KNOW, EACH OTHER.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading His thoughts no longer resembled thoughts.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Gwynplaine was alone--alone, and in the presence of the tepid bath and the deserted couch.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
From this reading They overflowed and ran riot; it was the anguish of a creature wrestling with perplexity.
Chapter 88 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 88 holds 80 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 88 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 88 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.
