Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
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Cover of A Simple Soul
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

A Simple Soul

A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 126 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #1253.

5 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Academic course · 5 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

A Simple Soul

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 123 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #1253, divided into 5 chapters and 126 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 Simple Soul in full?

The complete text of A Simple Soul is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #1253 and divided into 126 sections.

This page carries the whole of A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1253, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 626 sentences across 5 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 Simple Soul divided for reading?

A Simple Soul is presented in 5 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting A Simple Soul as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 126 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 5 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 Simple Soul read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of A Simple Soul can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of A Simple Soul 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 Simple Soul

Common questions about reading A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Simple Soul?

Yes. All 626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1253 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Simple Soul is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1253, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Simple Soul take to read?

About 52 minutes of reading across 126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Simple Soul section by section

How to work through A Simple Soul section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of A Simple Soul to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Simple Soul

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Simple Soul, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Century
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Housewives
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pont-l
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Eveque
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Simple Soul; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.