Project Gutenberg Library B1 C1

Wessex Tales

Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy is available here as the complete text, split into 664 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Thomas Hardy30 chapters

Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #3056.

30 chaptersComplete chronicle

Five linesIn each reading

US EnglishNarration and vocabulary

Open Chapter I

Academic course · 30 chapters

Course Syllabus

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

Wessex Tales

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

0 of 653 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

This edition of Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #3056, divided into 30 chapters and 664 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 Wessex Tales in full?

The complete text of Wessex Tales is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #3056 and divided into 664 sections.

This page carries the whole of Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #3056, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 3318 sentences across 30 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 Wessex Tales divided for reading?

Wessex Tales is presented in 30 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting Wessex Tales as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 664 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 30 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 Wessex Tales read aloud?

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

Every sentence of Wessex Tales 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 Wessex Tales

Common questions about reading Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Wessex Tales?

Yes. All 3318 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3056 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Wessex Tales is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3056, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Wessex Tales take to read?

About 276 minutes of reading across 664 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Wessex Tales section by section

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

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 30 chapters of Wessex Tales to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Wessex Tales

Words and structures a reader meets early in Wessex Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Eighty-cow: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wessex Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dairy: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wessex Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Troop: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wessex Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Milkers: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Wessex Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Wessex Tales

Where can I read Wessex Tales in full?

How is Wessex Tales divided for reading?

Can I hear Wessex Tales read aloud?

Questions about reading Wessex Tales

How to read Wessex Tales section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in Wessex Tales