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History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne
History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Chapter XXXIV

Chapter 34 of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Andrew Lang • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne
Context Illustration Reading 1/90 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.
We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.
He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.
Philip Freneau.
Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.
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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.

History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Chapter XXXIV

Chapter 34 of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne is here in full — 453 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/90 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.
/ˈpoʊəts ˈæftər ˈwɜːrdzwərθ/
Line 2
We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.
/wiː naʊ tɜːrn tuː ðə ˈpoʊəts ʌv ðə ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ ˈsentʃəri ˈæftər ˈwɜːrdzwərθ ðoʊ ðə fɜːrst ɑːn ðə lɪst wɑːz hɪz ˈsiːnjər ɪn jɪrz/
Line 3
He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.
/hiː ɪz les ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt fɔːr hɪz wɜːrk ðæn æz ðə ˌpaɪəˈnɪr ʌv ðə ˈpoʊəts huː ɪn ðə juːˈnaɪtɪd steɪts kənˈtrɪbjuːtɪd tuː ðə poʊˈetɪk ˈlɪtərətʃər ʌv ðə ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/
Line 4
Philip Freneau.
Line 5
Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

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.

contributed verb US /kənˈtrɪbjuːtɪd/

past form of “contribute” — bestow a quality on

From this reading “He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
literature noun US /ˈlɪtərətʃər/

creative writing of recognized artistic value

From this reading “He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nineteenth adjective US /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the eighteenth in position

From this reading “We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pioneer noun US /ˌpaɪəˈnɪr/

someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art

From this reading “He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poetic adjective US /poʊˈetɪk/

of or relating to poetry

From this reading “He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poets noun US /ˈpoʊəts/

plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading “POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
senior adjective US /ˈsiːnjər/

older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service

From this reading “We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wordsworth noun US /ˈwɜːrdzwərθ/

a romantic English poet whose work was inspired by the Lake District where he spent most of his life (1770-1850)

From this reading “POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

nineteenth century adjective + noun

In this reading “We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.”

3,620 times in 426,212 chapters
less important adverb + adjective

In this reading “He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.”

932 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 45

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.

1752

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

From this reading Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

Pending verification
1832

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

From this reading Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

Pending verification
AFTERprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
centurynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contributedverbUS /kənˈtrɪbjuːtɪd/

past form of “contribute” — bestow a quality on

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EnglishnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Freneau

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

From this reading Philip Freneau.

Pending verification
HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
importantadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
languagenounUS /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
listverbUS /lɪst/

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
literaturenounUS /ˈlɪtərətʃər/

creative writing of recognized artistic value

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nineteenthadjectiveUS /ˈnaɪnˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the eighteenth in position

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PhilipnounUS /ˈfɪləp/

Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)

From this reading Philip Freneau.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pioneernounUS /ˌpaɪəˈnɪr/

someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poetnounUS /ˈpoʊət/

a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading Philip Freneau (1752-1832) was the first American poet of any note.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
poeticadjectiveUS /poʊˈetɪk/

of or relating to poetry

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
POETSnounUS /ˈpoʊəts/

plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
senioradjectiveUS /ˈsiːnjər/

older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StatesnounUS /steɪts/

plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/

characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WORDSWORTHnounUS /ˈwɜːrdzwərθ/

a romantic English poet whose work was inspired by the Lake District where he spent most of his life (1770-1850)

From this reading POETS AFTER WORDSWORTH.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading He is less important for his work than as the pioneer of the poets who, in the United States, contributed to the poetic literature of the English language.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading We now turn to the poets of the nineteenth century, after Wordsworth, though the first on the list was his senior in years.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 34 of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne by Andrew Lang holds 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 34 of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne contain?

Chapter 34 holds 453 sentences of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 34 of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne by Andrew Lang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 453 sentences, grouped into 91 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 34 of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne?

Work through the 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 91 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 34 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 34 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 History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Common questions about reading History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne by Andrew Lang on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne?

Yes. All 8679 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56613 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #56613, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne

Words and structures a reader meets early in History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Literature
A word that appears in the opening chapter of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Every
A word that appears in the opening chapter of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Modern
A word that appears in the opening chapter of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Country
A word that appears in the opening chapter of History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.