Chapter 23 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place." --EURIPIDES: _Andromache_, 214. THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
Chapter 23 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete is here in full — 206 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
have an element suggestive (of something)
From this reading “"I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."”
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently
From this reading “THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --EURIPIDES: _Andromache_, 214.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --EURIPIDES: _Andromache_, 214.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
one of the greatest tragic dramatists of ancient Greece (480-406 BC)
From this reading --EURIPIDES: _Andromache_, 214.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
have an element suggestive (of something)
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently
From this reading THIS ancient city, How wanton sits she amidst Nature's smiles!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will bring fire to thee--I reek not of the place."
Chapter 23 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton holds 206 sentences, grouped into 42 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 23 holds 206 sentences of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 206 sentences, grouped into 42 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7143 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 595 minutes of reading across 1429 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Alice, or the Mysteries — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
