The Man Who Laughs

About this book

The Man Who Laughs (also published under the title By Order of the King from its subtitle in French) is a philosophical and dramatic 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. The novel follows 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.