Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
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Cover of Dead Souls
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

Dead Souls

Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 1320 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #1081.

15 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Academic course · 15 chapters

Course Syllabus

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

Dead Souls

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

0 of 1314 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #1081, divided into 15 chapters and 1320 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 Dead Souls in full?

The complete text of Dead Souls is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #1081 and divided into 1320 sections.

This page carries the whole of Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1081, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 6596 sentences across 15 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 Dead Souls divided for reading?

Dead Souls is presented in 15 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting Dead Souls as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1320 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 15 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 Dead Souls read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Dead Souls can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of Dead Souls 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 Dead Souls

Common questions about reading Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dead Souls?

Yes. All 6596 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dead Souls is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1081, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dead Souls take to read?

About 549 minutes of reading across 1320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dead Souls section by section

How to work through Dead Souls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of Dead Souls 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 Dead Souls

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dead Souls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Provincial
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Smart
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Britchka--a
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Light
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Souls; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.