A Passion in the Desert
A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 42 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #1555.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
A Passion in the Desert
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 42 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #1555, divided into 1 chapters and 42 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read A Passion in the Desert in full?
The complete text of A Passion in the Desert is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #1555 and divided into 42 sections.
This page carries the whole of A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1555, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 210 sentences across 1 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is A Passion in the Desert divided for reading?
A Passion in the Desert is presented in 1 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting A Passion in the Desert as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 42 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 1 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear A Passion in the Desert read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of A Passion in the Desert can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of A Passion in the Desert can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading A Passion in the Desert
Common questions about reading A Passion in the Desert by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of A Passion in the Desert?
Yes. All 210 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1555 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of A Passion in the Desert is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #1555, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does A Passion in the Desert take to read?
About 17 minutes of reading across 42 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read A Passion in the Desert section by section
How to work through A Passion in the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 1 chapters of A Passion in the Desert to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in A Passion in the Desert
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Passion in the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Whole
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Passion in the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Dreadful
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Passion in the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Cried
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Passion in the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Coming
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Passion in the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.