"The man who laughs": a brief summary of the novel by Victor Hugo

Literature of the nineteenth century is read by both young people and the older generation. Among the French geniuses stands Victor Hugo, who wrote several major novels. If you want to learn about the amazing story of a young man, ugly externally and beautifully inside, you should read the work "The Man Who Laughs" (short content). Hugo for a long time collected historical information about England, so that the novel turned out not fictional, but close to reality. It took two years to write the book. The novel is still quoted, several films were shot, theatrical scenes were staged.

Introduction, familiarization with the characters

If you like fascinating stories about love, hate, betrayal - by all means read the book written by Victor Hugo, "The Man Who Laughs." The summary of the first preliminary chapter will acquaint the reader with Ursus and his hand-wolf Homo. The eccentric doctor travels and earns his living, explores the vegetation in search of new medical herbs. The habits of his pet seem quite human, and it's not for nothing that Ursus named him Homo, which in Latin means "man."

In contrast to these two positive characters in the second chapter is a story about kompprichikosah. These are whole classes of people engaged in dirty deeds: they buy or steal children, and then mutilate their face and body beyond recognition with a scalpel. Earlier this quivering topic was not raised in literature, but it is unfair to say that the activities of these people are fiction. The first writer to reflect this idea in his work was Victor Hugo. "The man who laughs" is an amazing novel about the life and adventures of the royal heir, whom the company has awarded forever with a frozen smile on his face. To kill an infant is a crime, they say, but you can get rid of it by another way - change your appearance and take them away from your native land.

Part one: sea and night

At the southern end of Portland in terrible weather, eight silhouettes were visible. Among them, it was impossible to distinguish between women and men, but one of them was a child. Sailed from Spain, people left the boy, and themselves cut the ropes and went to the open sea. Abandoned toddler did not know who he was, but readers can immediately guess that the child is the same "man who laughs". The book tells of the adventures of a grown-up child, but for now one task is to get out and find a place to live. The child looks like ghosts, but he sees a corpse dissected on the gallows. After overcoming half the league, he was exhausted and hungry, but continued to wander. He follows the woman's footsteps and finds her dead ... A one-year-old girl would have died in her arms if the brave fellow had not dared to take her with him. After long wanderings, the unfortunate finds the house of Ursus. The doctor greets the children indifferently, but offers them food and a night's lodging, and the next morning he discovers the boy's disfigured face and the blindness of the girl. He gives them names - Guinplain and Deia.

The fate of the villains

The number of children abandoned by the Comprachikos grew, since in England these people were in terrible punishment. Captain Urki, leaving the baby, went with his team off the land, but in the sea they were facing the worst punishment: a snowstorm began. He was in doubt about the correctness of the course because of the weather, but did not dare to stop the path. The only reasonable person on the urk, the doctor, warned of possible death, but he was not listened to. He accidentally discovers in the cabin a jar with the name Hardkvannon - it's a surgeon who, with his frozen smile, owes a man who laughs. The brief content of the book will soon tell you about who the mutilated boy actually was.

Here the bell rang. Urka was going to die. From the strong wind raged buoy, which hung a bell, foreshadowing the reef. The captain performs several successful maneuvers and leads the team out of a difficult situation. The storm was over, but there was a hole in the hole - the hold was full of water. All things were thrown out into the sea, and the last thing that could be thrown into the sea is their crime ... Everyone signed on parchment and put him in a jar of Hardkvanon. Slowly leaving under the water, none of them rose. They all died, and there, on land, a poor boy survived - a man who laughs. The summary does not almost convey the horror of the storm and the death of the compracticions, and patient readers are recommended to read a good hundred pages describing the horror of the water element.

Acquaintance with the royal court

Linney Clencharli is an amazing person: he was a peer, but chose to become an exile. Jacob II is ready to take all measures against this rebellious lord. His son David was once the king's page, but soon became the darling of the Duchess of Josiana: both were beautiful, desirable, but did not want to spoil relations by marriage. Anna was the queen and blood sister of the duchess. Ugly and spiteful, she was born 2 years before the fire in 1666. Astrologers predicted the appearance of the "older sister of fire."

David and Josiana did not like to show themselves together in public, but somehow they went to watch boxing. The spectacle was truly breathtaking, but to Josiana it did not help to get rid of boredom. To help in this, she could only one - a man who laughs. For all the beauty of the athlete's body, his face was disfigured. At the sight of the buffoon, everyone laughed, but this sight was disgusting.

Guinplain and Act

Hugo shows the face of a man who until now was known only by deed. Guinplain was 25, Dee - 16. The girl was blind and lived in complete darkness. Guinplein had his own hell, but in the meantime he lived with his beloved, like in paradise, they loved each other. Deia considered Guinplena as beautiful - she knew the story of her salvation perfectly. She alone saw his soul, and everyone else - a mask. Ursus, who was the father named for their two, noticing the feelings of lovers, decided to marry them. However, the person who laughs, could not touch Dee - she was for him his child, sister, angel. In infancy, they slept in the same bed with each other, but soon innocent children's games began to grow into something more.

Wandering artists

Ursus with his children in his van called "Green Box" gave presentations to the townspeople and the nobility. He began to grow rich and even hired two charming girls - Venus and Phoebe. All interludes of the doctor, and now the director, he wrote himself. One of them, entitled "Defeated Chaos," he created specifically for Guinplain. The audience expressed a wild delight and laughter at the sight of the lighted face of the disabled. Ursus watched his disciple, and when he noticed that Guinplain was beginning to look around, he had the idea that it was not something the young man needed. He and Deya have better children. By that time, Guinplain finally had a new name - "The Man Who Laughs." He was recognized on the streets, and Ursus decided that it was time to go to London.
The success of the tent of wandering artists did not allow others to develop. "Green box" took precedence over the church eloquence, and the church turned to the king. At the views of Guinplain and Dey the duchess became more frequent - now she sat alone in the place of honor. The blind girl felt a danger in Josiana's face and asked Ursus not to appear again. Guinplain, however, felt an attraction to the duchess: the first time he saw a woman, also very beautiful, who was ready to respond to him with sympathy. To learn about all the intricacies of a woman's relationship with the soul of the devil and a man with the same appearance, be sure to read the novel "The Man Who Laughs" (summary). Hugo tried to depict the character of women typical of the nineteenth century, which are often found today.

All masks are removed

Since the end of the visit the duchess has spent a lot of time, but Victor Hugo did not want to forget about her influence on the strolling artists. The person who laughs, got a kind of poisoning by a woman, and he wanted to master Deia. The sweet hour did not come, but somehow, while walking, he felt in his hand a letter and a nearby page of the duchess. On paper it was written that Josiana loves and wants to see Guinplain. The artist immediately felt unwell and returned to the Green Box late at night. The morning was the same as usual, until it was spoiled by the visit of the bogus bearer. He meant complete obedience, and without uttering a word, a man came obediently to come, who laughs ... The book from that moment begins to narrate about another story, namely, about the stay of Guinplain in the royal monastery.

The reader must have guessed that the novel does not end with such a quick death of the protagonist. Guinplen was taken to Southworth prison, where he had been long awaited. The half-naked prisoner looked up at the crippled man and exclaimed, laughing: "It's him!". The sheriff explained that before the audience there was no buffoon at all, but Lord Krenčarli, the peer of England. The attendees read the note in a corked bottle of Hardquanon - a man, a skilled plagiarist surgeon who mutilated the face of two-year-old Ferman Klencharli. There everything was described in detail how he was kidnapped in infancy. Hardquanon was exposed, and Balkyfiedro opened his eyes to the wandering artist.

Josiana and Guinplain

Recently, the soldier found a corked bottle by the shore and took her to the admiral of England. Balkifedrou showed the find to Anna, and she immediately had an idea to harm her beautiful sister. Josiana was going to marry Guinplain. Sophisticated plan Balqifedro was a success. He personally made sure that in the "Green Box" Josiana saw the performance of Guinplain. To think that a peer of England is a man who laughs. The summary of the novel may not reveal the relationship at the royal court, so readers may have a question about why it was worth crippling the baby when how his belonging to a high society was exposed after twenty years. When Guinplan came to himself after a faint of surprise and asked where he was, he was told: "At home, my lord."

Guinplain walked about the room back and forth and could not believe everything that was happening. He already imagined himself in his new position, when suddenly he was visited by the thought of Dey, but he was forbidden to visit his family ... The man who laughs, craves for his father and lover to rest with him in the royal quarters, and not huddled in a tent . The palace was like a gilded prison: in one of the hundreds of rooms, Guinplain found a beautiful woman sleeping in a luxurious bed - it was the duchess. Pretty woman beckoned him with kisses and said sweet words. She wanted to see a lover in Guinplain, therefore, as soon as she received a letter from Anna with the order to marry a new peer of England and the duchess, Josiana drove the subject of her passion away. As it turned out, the husband of the Queen's sister had two: Lord Krenčarli and Rear Admiral David Derry-Moir.

"Green Box" without the main actor

As soon as Guinplena was taken away by the bearer, Ursus followed him. Exaggerated guesses and expectations, the doctor was even glad that he would get rid of his adopted children - Dey would perish after longing for his lover. Ursus returns to the "Green Box" and arranges the performance of "Defeated Chaos", imitating the voices of the public and Guinplin. Even the blind Dea easily determined that there was not a crowd of people or the main actor ...

Is it possible that a loving father would not go for his son, who was arrested on an early morning for what? Ursus suggested that the ghoul warrior led Guinplein away as a rebel who insulted the queen. In fact, the healer could not even suspect the fate of a man who laughs. The summary may not reveal this touching moment when Ursus took Guinplain more than a pupil or a partner. He screamed with the words "they killed my son!" When he saw how the executioners carried the coffin to the sound of the bell. Soon the Green Box was visited by a bailiff with a command to leave Ursus for the territory of England for the content of a wild animal - a wolf. Balqifedro confirmed that the person who laughs is really dead, and then allocated a small amount for the soonest charges of the owner of the wagon.

Admission of Guinplain to the House of Lords

In the evening, the solemn oath of Lord Krenčarli took place. The ceremony took place in a mysterious hall in the twilight - the organizers of the event did not want the members of parliament to learn that now one of them is a man who laughs. The summary of the chapter "Life Storms More Horrific than the Ocean" conveys the author's main idea: even such an outwardly mutilated man as Guinplain has a kind and fair heart, and the sudden change of his position from buffoonery to peers did not change his soul. The Lord Chancellor voted to increase the annual award to the king - all but the former wandering artist approved the proposal, but another refusal followed. Now, with the new peer of England, Rear Admiral David Derry-Moir also protested, who summoned all present to the duel. The fiery speech of Guinplein about his past irritated the members of parliament: the young man tried to warn the greedy lords and expressed his hatred of the king, told how the common people perish at the expense of the feasts of the nobility. After such words, he was forced to flee.

"The man who laughs": a summary of the chapters of the last pages of the book

It seemed that Guinplain had lost everything. He took a notebook out of his pocket, wrote on the front page that he was leaving, signed by Lord Klencharli, and decided to drown himself. But suddenly he felt that someone was licking his hand. It was Homo! Guinplain had the hope that he would soon reunite with the one with whom he had been suddenly separated. Maybe soon there would be a wedding of two hearts, and Ursus would wait for his grandchildren - such an ending was invented by any writer-sentimentalist, but not Victor Hugo. The man who laughs begins to pay for his sins, being within a few steps of happiness ... The wolf ran to the Thames, and Guinplain behind him - there he met with the father and the dying Deira fever. Both are waiting for a meeting in heaven, for the lover does not experience separation and drowns in the water.

The screen version of the novel "The Man Who Laughs". The summary of the film

The outstanding work of Victor Hugo was filmed four times: in the US, Italy, twice in France. The first film was shot in 1928, half a century after the novel was written. Black-and-white silent cinema lasts 1 hour 51 minutes. Director Paul Leni missed some scenes, but tried to convey the main idea of the novel "The Man Who Laughs", however, the ending was happy. Artfully put on make-up and the outstanding play of actors Conrad Feydt, Olga Baklannova, Mary Filbin and Cesare Gravina amazes the audience from the first minute.

The next film was shot in 1966 in Italy, the premiere took place on February 3. Music for a half-hour movie was written by the composer Carlo Savina. Five years later in France, Jean Kershbron shot a terrific picture with the actors Philip Boucle and Delphine Desire.

The last movie to date "The Man Who Laughs" was staged with the participation of the great French actor Gerard Depardieu in the role of Ursus. The long-awaited premiere took place on December 19, 2012, while the trailer appeared on the network much earlier. Not all spectators were satisfied with the picture: the characters of the main characters are not fully revealed, and their appearance does not correspond to what is described in the book. The role of Guinplain was performed by the handsome Mark-André Gronden, whereas Dey was not so charming, unlike the heroine of Hugo. "The man who laughs" - a great novel, but the director Jean-Pierre Ameri could not accurately depict the main idea of the writer.

Notes for the readers diary

Victor Hugo does not pass in schools, but he is included in the university program only in some universities. Connoisseurs of literature do not spare time for the abstracts of the read works, including the novel "The Man Who Laughs." The summary for the readers' diary can be represented by retelling each part.

In two preliminary chapters, Hugo introduces the reader to the physician Ursus and says a few words about the compricicos. The first part of "Night and Sea" consists of three books, each of which has several chapters. The writer tells about the kidnapping of the boy and the payment of the commprachikos for deadly sins - every one drowns, and the boy finds salvation in the house of Ursus. A blind girl Deya is also becoming a member of their family, picked up by the brave Guinplain - a man who laughs.

The summary of the part "By the order of the King" can be conveyed by several proposals. The new Ursus family earns a living by giving performances. Guiplen and Dey become adults, and the father dreams of marrying them. Family happiness is hampered by the Countess Josiana, who attends performances and falls in love with the disfigured youth. The film "The Man Who Laughs" superbly conveys the relationship of this fatal woman with the unfortunate: she entices him, bewitches, but soon loses interest. In the same book, Guinplain learns that he is a noble person and becomes a member of parliament, but life in the castle is alien to him and he returns to the Green Box where he is dying from Deia fever. Then the person who laughs dies. The content of this part conveys the thought that, no matter how outwardly the individual may be ugly, he can have a pure soul and a great loving heart.

The eponymous story of an American writer

Half a century after Hugo, his novel is written by Jerome David Salinger. "The man who laughed" tells about the events of 1928. A forty-year-old man remembers his childhood, after classes with other children he stayed on an entertaining lesson with student John Gidsudski. The young man drove the guys to a New York park where they played football and baseball. On the way, he entertained the students with fascinating stories about the noble robber, whom an interesting pseudonym is picked up by Salinger. The man who laughed covered his face with a pale scarlet mask from the poppy's petals so that detractors could not see his features. John secretly met with the wealthy girl Mary Hudson, with whom he soon had to part. So it turned out that behind this sad event followed another - the death of a noble robber from the hands of enemies. The story is dominated by the red color, which is a signal of danger, and the word "blood" occurs exactly ten times, so the quick-witted reader can immediately guess the sad ending.