Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething. There is no older and more common story anywhere. As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined. But I do not think it was. Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice is here in full — 386 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 71/77 · 5 reading units · Lines 351–355
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.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.”
marked by the exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters
From this reading “Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.”
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
From this reading “As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.”
(Old Testament) a patriarch (grandfather of Noah) who is said to have lived 969 years
From this reading “"Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.”
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading “As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.”
something that follows something else
From this reading “As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.”
the eruption through the gums of baby teeth
From this reading “"Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty and one
From this reading “Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.”
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 Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
(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 Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
at or in or to any place
From this reading There is no older and more common story anywhere.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I do not think it was.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading There is no older and more common story anywhere.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But I do not think it was.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
marked by the exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I do not think it was.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
(Old Testament) a patriarch (grandfather of Noah) who is said to have lived 969 years
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There is no older and more common story anywhere.
not any; not one
From this reading There is no older and more common story anywhere.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But I do not think it was.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading There is no older and more common story anywhere.
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
something that follows something else
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
the eruption through the gums of baby teeth
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
express in words
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is no older and more common story anywhere.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading But I do not think it was.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty and one
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
at the time that
From this reading "Indeed, the story is very old, and old it was when Methuselah was teething.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Instead, he had learned all of a sudden that which at twenty-one is heady knowledge.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading As the sequel, it would be heroic to tell you this boy's life was ruined.
Chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell holds 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 1 holds 386 sentences of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 386 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 1 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 Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8771 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8771, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1020 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice 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 Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
