_v2_Frontis.jpg) "At the Green Box", frontispiece to volume II of the 1869 English translation | |
| Author | Victor Hugo |
|---|---|
| Original title | L'Homme qui rit |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Gothic Horror |
| Published | April 1869 A. Lacroix, Verboeckhoven & Ce |
| Publication place | France |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 386 |
| OCLC | 49383068 |
The Man Who Laughs (also published under the title By Order of the King from its subtitle in French)[1] is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title L'Homme qui rit. It takes place in England beginning in 1690 and extends into the early 18th-century reign of Queen Anne. It depicts England's royalty and aristocracy of the time as cruel and power-hungry. Hugo intended parallels with the France of Louis-Philippe and the Régence.[2]
The novel concerns the life of a young nobleman who was disfigured as a child on the orders of the king. Exiled and renamed "Gwynplaine", he travels with his protector and companion, the vagabond philosopher Ursus, and Dea, who he rescued as a baby during a storm. The novel is famous for Gwynplaine's mutilated face, stuck in a permanent grin. The book has inspired many artists, dramatists, and filmmakers.[3]
- ^ Davidson, Arthur Fitzwilliam (1912). Victor Hugo: his life and work. J.B. Lippincott. pp. 273–274.
- ^ Roman, Myriam (2002). Preface to Le Livre de Poche Classiques edition. p. 16.
- ^ "L'âme a-t-elle un visage?" [Does the soul have a face?] (PDF) (in French). 1 January 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2021.