The Man Who Laughs

Victor Hugo · 1802–1885 · France

Originally L'Homme qui rit (French)

Why it matters

Disfigured as a child into a permanent grin by traffickers who mutilate outcast children for profit, Gwynplaine grows up among fairground freaks to become an unlikely voice against aristocratic cruelty: Hugo's gothic melodrama, later reborn as the visual template for the Joker.

At a glance

Dense philosophical digression and a sprawling structure demand patience.