Victor-Marie Hugo (1802-1885) wrote L'Homme Qui Rit (The Man Who Laughs) in 1869. One of the greatest French novelists, poets, playwrights and socio-political figures of his time, he is probably best known for having written Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) (1831) and Les Mis�rables (1862), but The Man Who Laughs is a romantic masterpiece that deserves an equal measure of acclaim. The incredible love story of the man whose face has been disfigured into a laughing mask in childhood, the loyal blind girl ...
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Victor-Marie Hugo (1802-1885) wrote L'Homme Qui Rit (The Man Who Laughs) in 1869. One of the greatest French novelists, poets, playwrights and socio-political figures of his time, he is probably best known for having written Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) (1831) and Les Mis�rables (1862), but The Man Who Laughs is a romantic masterpiece that deserves an equal measure of acclaim. The incredible love story of the man whose face has been disfigured into a laughing mask in childhood, the loyal blind girl who gives him her heart, and the cruelty of the privileged aristocracy whose laughingstock and savior he becomes, is remarkable in its emotional impact. But do not be deceived. The timeless trope of Beauty and the Beast is redefined here, for surfaces are misleading, and not everything is as it seems. The slow-paced, stately richness of descriptive detail is reward in itself for the reader looking for delicious immersion in the drama of history, but coupled with the depth of human insight, and the glimpse into a historical era and mindset, this is a timeless classic.
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Add this copy of The Man Who Laughs to cart. $24.86, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2006 by Norilana Books.
Add this copy of The Man Who Laughs to cart. $37.74, new condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2006 by Norilana Books.
Add this copy of The Man Who Laughs to cart. $62.37, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Norilana Books.
Add this copy of The Man Who Laughs to cart. $96.99, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Norilana Books.
This book is a very dark canvas, but it is precisely that darkness that makes the rays of light that shine through it all the more mystical and beautiful.
This book is a Gnostic mass in fiction form.
Contrary to the typical religious view, that this is my Father's world gone wrong, Hugo takes the position that this world is an evil place of darkness and suffering.
This is not my Fathers world at all.
It is essentially the Gnostic view. That human souls are sparks of divine light, temporarily trapped in an evil place. Those who oppress and torment the weak and the poor are simply soulless props, exercising and strengthening those sparks of divine light that are, for the moment, in their orbit.
Dea and Gwynplaine are kindred spirits who cannot be separated, but will continually find each other no matter what the odds.
B.E. Maxwell, author of The Faerie Door, a Gnostic fable for children of all ages.
(Harcourt Houghton Mifflin 2008)
