The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 49 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #301.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 48 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #301, divided into 3 chapters and 49 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 The Ballad of Reading Gaol in full?
The complete text of The Ballad of Reading Gaol is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #301 and divided into 49 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #301, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 242 sentences across 3 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 The Ballad of Reading Gaol divided for reading?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is presented in 3 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Ballad of Reading Gaol as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 49 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 3 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 The Ballad of Reading Gaol read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Ballad of Reading Gaol can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Ballad of Reading Gaol 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 The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Common questions about reading The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
Yes. All 242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Ballad of Reading Gaol is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #301, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Ballad of Reading Gaol take to read?
About 20 minutes of reading across 49 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Ballad of Reading Gaol section by section
How to work through The Ballad of Reading Gaol section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Ballad of Reading Gaol 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 The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Ballad of Reading Gaol, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Scarlet
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ballad of Reading Gaol; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Blood
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ballad of Reading Gaol; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Hands
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ballad of Reading Gaol; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Found
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Ballad of Reading Gaol; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.