The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is available here as the complete public-domain text, split into 658 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Complete public-domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #33.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
The Scarlet Letter
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 647 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
- Chapter I Chapter 1
- Chapter II Chapter 2
- Chapter III Chapter 3
- Chapter IV Chapter 4
- Chapter V Chapter 5
- Chapter VI Chapter 6
- Chapter VII Chapter 7
- Chapter VIII Chapter 8
- Chapter IX Chapter 9
- Chapter X Chapter 10
- Chapter XI Chapter 11
- Chapter XII Chapter 12
- Chapter XIII Chapter 13
- Chapter XIV Chapter 14
- Chapter XV Chapter 15
- Chapter XVI Chapter 16
- Chapter XVII Chapter 17
- Chapter XVIII Chapter 18
- Chapter XIX Chapter 19
- Chapter XX Chapter 20
- Chapter XXI Chapter 21
- Chapter XXII Chapter 22
- Chapter XXIII Chapter 23
- Chapter XXIV Chapter 24
This edition of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #33, divided into 24 chapters and 658 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 Scarlet Letter in full?
The complete text of The Scarlet Letter is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #33 and divided into 658 sections.
This page carries the whole of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #33, a public-domain edition, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 3286 sentences across 24 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 Scarlet Letter divided for reading?
The Scarlet Letter is presented in 24 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting The Scarlet Letter as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 658 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 24 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 Scarlet Letter read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Scarlet Letter can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of The Scarlet Letter 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 Scarlet Letter
Common questions about reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Scarlet Letter?
Yes. All 3286 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Scarlet Letter is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #33, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Scarlet Letter take to read?
About 273 minutes of reading across 658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Scarlet Letter section by section
How to work through The Scarlet Letter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Scarlet Letter 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 Scarlet Letter
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Scarlet Letter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Little
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Remarkable
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Though
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Disinclined
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scarlet Letter; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.