History Literature / TheManWhoLaughs

* DisabledLoveInterest: Dea is blind and in general weak health due to spending time as a baby out in the cold. However Gwynplaine is technically one himself to her and Josiana given his face is forever mutilated.

An 1869 Creator/VictorHugo novel.

A new, French adaptation of the film was released in 2012, starring Creator/GerardDepardieu and Creator/EmmanuelleSeigner. Musical adaptations have been produced in [[Theatre/TheGrinningMan London]] and [[Theatre/TheManWhoLaughs South Korea]].

A new, French adaptation of the film was released in 2012, starring Creator/GerardDepardieu and Creator/EmmanuelleSeigner.

* OnlySaneMan: Tom-Jim-Jack, also known as [[spoiler: Lord David Clancharie]], turns out to be the only benevolent person from all the aristocrats in the book. [[spoiler: He is also Gwynplaine's brother.]]

* AristocratsAreEvil: The House of Lords is a nasty place. Given what was done to Gwynplaine to kick off the plot, this isn't very surpising.

The original novel follows a path similar to many of Hugo's other novels, ending in a depressing DownerEnding. Though not the author's most well-known work, there have been several film versions of the story (only one of which is in sound). The most well-known and best remembered adaptation is the heart-wrenchingly beautiful 1928 movie. It featured Creator/ConradVeidt as the main character, whose [[SlasherSmile freakish grin]] and [[MonsterClown clown-like]] appearance was the primary inspiration for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'''s ArchEnemy the Joker, which came full circle in the 1989 {{Short Story}}, ''The Man Who Laughs'' (by Creator/StuartMKaminsky), first published in ''Literature/TheFurtherAdventuresOfBatman''. Referenced again in 2005 with "Batman: The Man Who Laughs", the sequel to ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'', and again with ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'', which introduced The Batman Who Laughs as a villain.

The eponymous protagonist, Gwynplaine, bears a face disfigured by torture into a [[GlasgowSmile permanent smile]]. It was done to him as a child in order to punish him for his nobleman father's offense to the king. One night, after being abandoned in the snow, Gwynplaine wanders aimlessly, seeking shelter. He comes across the corpse of a woman who had frozen to death underneath a dead man hanging from a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbet gibbet]]. In her arms, he finds a still living, blind baby girl. Eventually, Gwynplaine comes to the home of the charlatan Ursus and his wolf companion Homo. Ursus has pity upon the two orphan children and takes them in.

The original novel follows a path similar to many of Hugo's other novels, ending in a depressing DownerEnding. Though not the author's most well-known work, there have been several film versions of the story (only one of which is in sound). The most well-known and best remembered adaptation is the heart-wrenchingly beautiful 1928 movie. It featured Creator/ConradVeidt as the main character, whose [[SlasherSmile freakish grin]] and [[MonsterClown clown-like]] appearance was the primary inspiration for ComicBook/TheJoker, which came full circle in the 1989 {{Short Story}}, ''The Man Who Laughs'' (by Creator/StuartMKaminsky), first published in ''Literature/TheFurtherAdventuresOfBatman''. Referenced again in 2005 with "Batman: The Man Who Laughs", the sequel to ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'', and again with ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'', which introduced The Batman Who Laughs as a villain.

The eponymous protagonist, Gwynplaine, bears a face disfigured by torture into a [[GlasgowSmile permanent smile]]. Tt was done to him as a child in order to punish him for his nobleman father's offense to the king. One night, after being abandoned in the snow, Gwynplaine wanders aimlessly, seeking shelter. He comes across the corpse of a woman who had frozen to death underneath a dead man hanging from a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbet gibbet]]. In her arms, he finds a still living, blind baby girl. Eventually, Gwynplaine comes to the home of the charlatan Ursus and his wolf companion Homo. Ursus has pity upon the two orphan children and takes them in.

The eponymous protagonist, Gwynplaine, bears a face disfigured by torture into a [[GlasgowSmile permanent smile]]. As a child, it was done to him in order to punish him for his nobleman father's offense to the king. One night, after being abandoned in the snow, Gwynplaine wanders aimlessly, seeking shelter. He comes across the corpse of a woman who had frozen to death underneath a dead man hanging from a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbet gibbet]]. In her arms, he finds a still living, blind baby girl. Eventually, Gwynplaine comes to the home of the charlatan Ursus and his wolf companion Homo. Ursus has pity upon the two orphan children and takes them in.

* AerithAndBob: Characters’ names are pretty weird, considering time and place of the novel’s setting: Linnaeuss Clancharlie, David Dirry-Moir, Josiana, Barkilphedro. Somewhat subverted with Gwynplaine, who, supposedly, got his name from Flemish doctor Hardquannone, and Ursus, who gave up his Christian name in favor of Latin nickname. Dea herself was christened by Ursus.

* AristocratsAreEvil: The House of Lords is a nasty place. Given what was done to Gwynplaine to kick off the plot this isn't very surpising.
* ArrangedMarriage: King Charles II sets up one that seems to tie up the loose ends to his problems. By arranging his illegitimate daughter to marry the son of his lover's son who has the title the King stole from his rival's son who was the proper heir.

* ChekhovsGun: The bottle left in the sea when a ship sank at the start of the book, is found years later, revealing Gwynplaine`s heritage.
* CorruptBureaucrat: Barkilphedro works his day job but essentially resents Josiana and is only out for himself which in a way helps drive the plot when he finds the message in a bottle..

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: A played with concept in that Josiana wants a lover that will embarrass her sister and the other royalty. If her father was still alive he most certainly would have hated and been embarrassed just as much.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: Gwynplaine arrives too late as he is only just in time to see his lover Dea die. He then commits suicide.
** No one more than likely got Josiana either. As she refuses to get with her intended husband David and wants Gwynplaine. When Gwynplaine becomes her intended husband she doesn't want him and will consider David as a lover. With Gwynplaine abandoning his title and his suicide, David is likely back to being her intended husband and well HereWeGoAgain.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Dea dies]]. [[spoiler:Gwynplaine (apparently) drowns himself]]. This is not the case, however, in the 1928 movie, which has a much more upbeat ending.

* GlasgowGrin: Gwynplaine's smile is a complex example. His face was deliberately mutilated to be forever in a grin. Artwork for the character usually portray this in a less fancy version of the[[Film/{{Hellraiser}} Chatterer]]. He is fully capable of talking with this deformity though he's also had many years to figure out how to do without full use of normal human lips.
** Adaptations have had some problems depicting this. In the silent film Conrad Veidt wore a device that pulled his mouth all the way open and he couldn't speak at all with it turning the film into a silent. The later movie and musicals that required him to talk have gone with a painted on smile that is able to let the actors talk but is clear AdaptationDeviation.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Queen Anne and Duchess Josiana are half sisters and they do not see eye to eye at all.
* TheGrotesque: Gwynplaine, obviously is an example with his face mutilated into a permanent smile.

* TheHeroDies: Implied at the end of the book when Gwynplaine commits suicide..
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Queen Anne Stuart appears as the character and sister of Josiana.
* IdleRich : This is how most aristocrats are represented is this trope where they tend to descend into AristocratsAreEvil or in Josiana's case into TheHedonist. Though Josiana herself is considered a BlackSheep even among this crowd.

* LonelyAtTheTop : As Gwynplaine finds out being Lord Clancharlie isn't very good and he runs back to his real home.
* LoveDodecahedron: Gwynplaine loves Dea but feels conflicted over his deformities, Dea loves him anyway. Josiana is in an ArrangedMarriage to David but she wants to have to sexual relationship with a lower class man to spite the Queen, her sister. Josiana wants Gwynplaine to be that person but Gwynplaine and David are brothers and Gwynplaine is the rightful heir to David's title and because the arranged marriage was to title is her actual arranged husband, which prompts Josiana to no longer want him and then to consider David for a lover.

* NightmareFetishist: Josiana is one, as she seems to have a huge attraction to disfigured people. Her scheme to embarrass the royalty only required a partner of low-class. The deformity is just her personal taste. As such when she sees Gwynplaine, he's exactly perfect for her because he appears to be both. This is foreshadowed early as her intended husband David who can't seem to get anywhere with her takes her to such charming places as old school fist fighting and freak shows as her idea of a hot date locale.

* TheNounWhoVerbed: The title The Man Who Laughs is an example.
* OnlySaneMan: Tom-Jim-Jack, also known as [[spoiler: Lord David Clancharie]], who turns out to be the only benevolent person from all the aristocrats in the book. [[spoiler: He is also Gwynplaine's brother.]]

* PunnyName: Homo (who's a wolf): "Man is a wolf to man".

* RagsToRiches : Gwynplaine grows up a poor mountebank only to find he's actually the rightful Lord Claincharlie.

* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Ursus is knowledgeable of Latin, and frequently uses Latin phrases in everyday speech.
* StarcrossedLovers: Dea and Gwynplaine are in love but seem to be kept apart by forces beyond their control. At least in the novel, the 1928 film averts this for them.
* TeamDad: Ursus serves as a father figure to his caravan including Gwynplaine and Dea.
* TruthInTelevision: Debated. Comprachicos is a word coined by Victor Hugo himself but the trade itself was rumored to have existed in the period Hugo set his story. There is very little evidence to outright prove as such. But if we are being fair these would have been people who would have done a lot of work to avoid leaving much evidence behind in their day. The folk tales of the common people would obviously be one of the hardest things to stamp out, and it is in the folk that they seem to be mostly documented.
* UptownGirl: The Duchess Josiana who fall in love with the disfigured freak showman Gwynplaine.

* AerithAndBob: characters’ names are pretty weird, considering time and place of the novel’s setting: Linnaeuss Clancharlie, David Dirry-Moir, Josiana, Barkilphedro. Somewhat subverted with Gwynplaine, who, supposedly, got his name from Flemish doctor Hardquannone, and Ursus, who gave up his Christian name in favor of Latin nickname. Dea herself was christened by Ursus.

* CorruptBureaucrat: Barkilphedro works his day job but essentially resents Josiana and is only outfor himself which in a way helps drive the plot when he finds the message in abottle..

The original novel follows a path similar to many of Hugo's other novels, ending in a depressing DownerEnding. Though not the author's most well-known work, there have been several film versions of the story (only one of which is in sound). The most well-known and best remembered adaptation is the heart-wrenchingly beautiful 1928 movie. It featured Creator/ConradVeidt as the main character, whose [[SlasherSmile freakish grin]] and [[MonsterClown clown-like]] appearance was the primary inspiration for ComicBook/TheJoker, which came full circle in the 1989 {{Short Story}}, ''The Man Who Laughs'' (by Creator/StuartMKaminsky), first published in ''Literature/TheFurtherAdventuresOfBatman''. Referenced again in 2005 with "Batman: The Man Who Laughs", the sequel to ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne''.

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Gwynplaine arrives too late as he is only just in time to see his lover Dea die. He then commits suicie.

* IdleRich : This is how most aristocrats are represented is this trope where they tend to descend into AristrocratsAreEvil or in Josiana's case into TheHedonist. Though Josiana herself is considered a BlackSheep even among this crowd.

* UptownGirl: The Duchess Josiana who fall in love with the disfigured freak show Gwynplaine.

%%* BlindAndTheBeast

%%* GlasgowGrin: Gwynplaine's smile likely applies.

%%* TheNounWhoVerbed: The title.

* TruthInTelevision: Debated. Comprachicos is a word coined by Victor Hugo himself but the trade itself was rumored to have existed in the period Hugo set his story. There is very little evidence to outright prove as such. But if we are being fair these would have been people who would have done a lot of work to avoid leaving much evidence behind in their day. The folk tales of the common people would obviosuly be one of the hardest things to stamp out, and it is in the folk that they seem to be mostly documented.

%%* BreakTheCutie: Dea and Gwynplaine's idealism.

* DisabledLoveInterest: Dea is blind and in general weak health.

%%* IdleRich : how most aristocrats are represented.

* NightmareFetishist: Josiana is one, she has multiple issues but she seems to have a huge attraction to disfigured people. When she sees Gwynplaine she wants him for this as well as the other reason he's perfect.
** A very early sign of this trope is where David takes her before he tells her about Gwynplaine. Josiana's idea of a hot place for a date is...an old school fight match? Where most competitors came out looking quite battered and bruised. No wonder she likes Gwynplaine.

%%* StarcrossedLovers: Dea and Gwynplaine. At least in the novel...
%%* TeamDad: Ursus.

A new, French adaptation of the film was released in 2012, starring Creator/GerardDepardieu as Ursus.

A new, French adaptation of the film was released in Christmas 2012, starring Creator/GerardDepardieu as Ursus.

* AerithAndBob: characters’ names are pretty weird, considering time and place of the novel’s setting: Linnaeuss Clancharlie, David Dirry-Moir, Josiana, Barkilphedro. Somewhat subverted with Gwynplaine, who, supposedly, got his name from Flemish doctor Hardquannone, and Ursus, who gave up his Christian name in favor of Latin nickname.

The original novel follows a path similar to many of Hugo's other novels, ending in a depressing DownerEnding. Though not the author's most well-known work, there have been several film versions of the story (only one of which is in sound). The most well-known and best remembered adaptation is the heart-wrenchingly beautiful 1928 movie. It featured Creator/ConradVeidt as the main character, whose [[SlasherSmile freakish grin]] and [[MonsterClown clown-like]] appearance was the primary inspiration for ComicBook/TheJoker, which came full circle in the 1989 {{Short Story}}, "Literature/TheManWhoLaughs" (by Creator/StuartMKaminsky), first published in ''Literature/TheFurtherAdventuresOfBatman''. Referenced again in 2005 with "Batman: The Man Who Laughs", the sequel to ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne''.

* SnicketWarningLabel: If you want a happy ending, just stop reading when Dea proclaims her love to Gwynplaine. Trust me.