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Aspasia
Aspasia

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Aspasia is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/72 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE THESMOPHORIAN FESTIVAL.
“That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.
A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.
“What did Phidias mean?”
No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Aspasia

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Aspasia is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE THESMOPHORIAN FESTIVAL.
Line 2
“That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.
Line 3
A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.
/ə kraɪ ʌv əˈstɑːnɪʃmənt ræn θruː ɔːl ˈæθənz/
Line 4
“What did Phidias mean?”
Line 5
No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.
/noʊ ɡriːk hæd ˈevər ˌɪˈmædʒənd ðə ˈɡɑːdəs æz hɪz læst ˈstætʃuː ˌreprɪˈzentɪd hɜːr/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Athenians noun US /əˈθiːniənz/

plural of “athenian” — a resident of Athens

From this reading ““That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.”

Athens noun US /ˈæθənz/

the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess)

From this reading “A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.”

bronze noun US /brɑːnz/

an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin

From this reading ““That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.”

festival noun US /ˈfestəvəl/

a day or period of time set aside for feasting and celebration

From this reading “THE THESMOPHORIAN FESTIVAL.”

goddess noun US /ˈɡɑːdəs/

a female deity

From this reading “No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.”

Pallas noun US /ˈpæləs/

(Greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva

From this reading ““That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.”

represented adjective US /ˌreprɪˈzentɪd/

represented accurately or precisely

From this reading “No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.”

statue noun US /ˈstætʃuː/

a sculpture representing a human or animal

From this reading ““That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

bronze statue noun + noun

In this reading ““That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.”

first time adjective + noun

In this reading ““That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.”

ran through verb + particle counted as “run through”

apply thoroughly; think through

In this reading “A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

astonishmentnounUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃmənt/

the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

AtheniansnounUS /əˈθiːniənz/

plural of “athenian” — a resident of Athens

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

AthensnounUS /ˈæθənz/

the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess)

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

beautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

bronzenounUS /brɑːnz/

an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading “What did Phidias mean?”

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

fellow-citizens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

FESTIVALnounUS /ˈfestəvəl/

a day or period of time set aside for feasting and celebration

From this reading THE THESMOPHORIAN FESTIVAL.

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

gazenounUS /ɡeɪz/

a long fixed look

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

goddessnounUS /ˈɡɑːdəs/

a female deity

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

GreeknounUS /ɡriːk/

the Hellenic branch of the Indo-European family of languages

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

imaginedverbUS /ˌɪˈmædʒənd/

past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

Lemnians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading “What did Phidias mean?”

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

orderedadjectiveUS /ˈɔːrdərd/

having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

PallasnounUS /ˈpæləs/

(Greek mythology) goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

Phidiasnoun

ancient Greek sculptor (circa 500-432 BC)

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

representedadjectiveUS /ˌreprɪˈzentɪd/

represented accurately or precisely

From this reading No Greek had ever imagined the goddess as his last statue represented her.

revealedverbUS /rɪˈviːld/

past form of “reveal” — make visible

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

statuenounUS /ˈstætʃuː/

a sculpture representing a human or animal

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE THESMOPHORIAN FESTIVAL.

THESMOPHORIAN

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE THESMOPHORIAN FESTIVAL.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading A cry of astonishment ran through all Athens.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What did Phidias mean?”

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading “That is beauty itself!” cried the Athenians, when Phidias had finished the new bronze statue of Pallas, ordered by the Lemnians, and revealed it for the first time to the gaze of his fellow-citizens.

Chapter 17 of Aspasia by Robert Hamerling holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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.

What does chapter 17 of Aspasia contain?

Chapter 17 holds 362 sentences of Aspasia, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Aspasia by Robert Hamerling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of Aspasia?

Work through the 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 73 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

Questions about reading Aspasia

Common questions about reading Aspasia by Robert Hamerling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Aspasia?

Yes. All 8883 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76058 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Aspasia is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #76058, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Aspasia take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Aspasia section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Aspasia 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 Aspasia

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

Volumes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Aspasia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Aspasia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Romance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Aspasia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
According
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Aspasia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.