Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs | 2025

The Man Who Laughs, according to Ayn Rand, was the best novel ever written by Victor Hugo, her favorite novelist. Together, we will see why she was right.

Price

$1,500.00

Level

100 Timing

Q3

Format

Live

About this course

The Man Who Laughs, according to Ayn Rand, was the best novel ever written by Victor Hugo, her favorite novelist. Together, we will see why she was right. In our course, we will analyze its structure, relish its descriptive style, and appreciate the integration of the suspenseful plot with the theme, colorful drama, and razor-sharp character portrayals. We will focus especially on the dramatic set-up, key turning points in the hero’s life, the crucial conflicts and contrasts, the moments when the “man who laughs” becomes the man who acts, and speaks—and, of course, the scene Ayn Rand said was the one scene, in all world literature, she wished she had written.

Course Prerequisites

Objectivism through Ayn Rand's Fiction or concurrent with Objectivism through Ayn Rand's Fiction

Instructors

Shoshana Milgram

Dr. Milgram, associate professor of English at Virginia Tech, specializes in narrative fiction and film. Her scholarship includes introductions to Victor Hugo’s novels, a study of Ayn Rand’s life up to 1957, and articles on Dostoevsky, George Eliot, Nabokov, and others. She relishes the roles of literary detective and cheerleader.

About Ayn Rand University

Ayn Rand described Objectivism as “a philosophy for living on earth.” This idea is at the heart of the Ayn Rand University, an online school of philosophy whose mission is to educate our students about Objectivism and to provide them with the intellectual, career, and life guidance they need to flourish.

Ayn Rand University provides an online educational experience, giving you the flexibility to attend from anywhere in the world. Each quarter, you’ll take one or more courses that feature lectures, graded assignments, classroom discussion, and feedback from our expert faculty. You may also meet regularly with one of our mentors, who will work with you to help you reach your learning and career goals so you can achieve success in thought and action. Though our program is demanding, most students find that they can succeed by devoting about 10 hours a week to their studies. And while we strongly encourage live attendance, all of our classes are recorded so that you can conveniently fit our classes into your schedule.