Les Misérables

Chapter CCLIX

Chapter 259 of Les Misérables is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Victor Hugo • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Jean Valjean suspected nothing.

Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

The thoughts which Cosette cherished, her tender preoccupations, Marius’ image which filled her heart, took away nothing from the incomparable purity of her beautiful, chaste, and smiling brow.

She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

So Jean Valjean was at ease.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter CCLIX Reading 1/15

Les Misérables

Chapter CCLIX

Chapter 259 of Les Misérables is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Jean Valjean suspected nothing.

Line 2

Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

Line 3

The thoughts which Cosette cherished, her tender preoccupations, Marius’ image which filled her heart, took away nothing from the incomparable purity of her beautiful, chaste, and smiling brow.

Line 4

She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

/ʃiː wɑːz æt ðə eɪdʒ wen ðə ˈvɜːrdʒɪn berz hɜːr lʌv æz ðə ˈeɪndʒəl hɪz ˈlɪli/

Line 5

So Jean Valjean was at ease.

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.

chaste adjective US /tʃeɪst/

morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse)

From this reading “The thoughts which Cosette cherished, her tender preoccupations, Marius’ image which filled her heart, took away nothing from the incomparable purity of her beautiful, chaste, and smiling brow.”

cherished adjective US /ˈtʃerɪʃt/

characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

dreamy adjective US /ˈdriːmi/

dreamy in mood or nature

From this reading “Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.”

incomparable adjective US /ˌɪnˈkɑːmpərəbəl/

such that comparison is impossible; unsuitable for comparison or lacking features that can be compared

preoccupations noun US /priˌɑːkjəˈpeɪʃənz/

plural of “preoccupation” — an idea that preoccupies the mind and holds the attention

purity noun US /ˈpjʊrəti/

being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material

sufficed verb US /səˈfaɪst/

past form of “suffice” — be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity

From this reading “Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.”

virgin noun US /ˈvɜːrdʒɪn/

a person who has never had sex

From this reading “She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.”

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.

sufficed for verb + particle counted as “suffice for”

In this reading “Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.”

took away verb + particle counted as “take away”

remove from a certain place, environment, or mental or emotional state; transport into a new location or state

In this reading “The thoughts which Cosette cherished, her tender preoccupations, Marius’ image which filled her heart, took away nothing from the incomparable purity of her beautiful, chaste, and smiling brow.”

at the age preposition + article + noun counted as “at … age”

In this reading “She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

angelnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəl/

spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The thoughts which Cosette cherished, her tender preoccupations, Marius’ image which filled her heart, took away nothing from the incomparable purity of her beautiful, chaste, and smiling brow.

bearsnounUS /berz/

plural of “bear” — massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

brownounUS /braʊ/

the part of the face above the eyes

chasteadjectiveUS /tʃeɪst/

morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse)

cherishedadjectiveUS /ˈtʃerɪʃt/

characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for

Cosette

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

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

dreamyadjectiveUS /ˈdriːmi/

dreamy in mood or nature

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

easeverbUS /iːz/

move gently or carefully

From this reading So Jean Valjean was at ease.

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

gayadjectiveUS /ɡeɪ/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

imagenounUS /ˈɪmədʒ/

an iconic mental representation

incomparableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkɑːmpərəbəl/

such that comparison is impossible; unsuitable for comparison or lacking features that can be compared

JeannounUS /dʒiːn/

a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric

From this reading Jean Valjean suspected nothing.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

lilynounUS /ˈlɪli/

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

Marius

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

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Jean Valjean suspected nothing.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

preoccupationsnounUS /priˌɑːkjəˈpeɪʃənz/

plural of “preoccupation” — an idea that preoccupies the mind and holds the attention

puritynounUS /ˈpjʊrəti/

being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

smilingnounUS /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So Jean Valjean was at ease.

sufficedverbUS /səˈfaɪst/

past form of “suffice” — be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

suspectedadjectiveUS /səˈspektɪd/

believed likely

From this reading Jean Valjean suspected nothing.

tenderadjectiveUS /ˈtendər/

given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

Valjean

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

From this reading Jean Valjean suspected nothing.

Valjean's

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

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

virginnounUS /ˈvɜːrdʒɪn/

a person who has never had sex

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading She was at the age when the virgin bears her love as the angel his lily.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Cosette, who was rather less dreamy than Marius, was gay, and that sufficed for Jean Valjean’s happiness.

Chapter 259 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 259 of Les Misérables contain?

Chapter 259 holds 76 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 259 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 259 of Les Misérables?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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 259 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 259 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 Les Misérables

Common questions about reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Les Misérables?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Les Misérables is used?

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

How long does Les Misérables take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Les Misérables section by section

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

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 0 chapters of Les Misérables 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 Les Misérables

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

Chapter 1: One of the 0 chapters of Les Misérables, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2: One of the 0 chapters of Les Misérables, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3: One of the 0 chapters of Les Misérables, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.

Chapter CCLIX

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Can chapter 259 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading Les Misérables

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Vocabulary met early in Les Misérables