Chapter 296 of Les Misérables is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter CCXCVI
Chapter 296 of Les Misérables is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul? Man is a depth still greater than the people. Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval. Every sort of gulf had opened again within him. He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
Chapter 296 of Les Misérables is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
a region marking a boundary
From this reading “He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.”
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading “What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?”
plural of “convulsion” — a sudden uncontrollable attack
From this reading “What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?”
extremely impressive in strength or excellence
From this reading “He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.”
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading “Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.”
make less visible or unclear
From this reading “He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.”
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading “He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.”
a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)
From this reading “Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.”
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.
In this reading “He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.”
In this reading “What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?”
In this reading “Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
anew
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
in addition
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
a region marking a boundary
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
plural of “convulsion” — a sudden uncontrollable attack
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
extremely impressive in strength or excellence
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
a particular point in time
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
make less visible or unclear
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
not in physical motion
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Man is a depth still greater than the people.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
a shaky motion
From this reading He also was trembling, like Paris, on the brink of an obscure and formidable revolution.
a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
precisely as stated
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Jean Valjean at that very moment was the prey of a terrible upheaval.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
in the company of; together with
From this reading What are the convulsions of a city in comparison with the insurrections of the soul?
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Every sort of gulf had opened again within him.
Chapter 296 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 296 holds 167 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 296 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 296 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 Les Misérables by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Les Misérables section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Les Misérables 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 Les Misérables, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
