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.
That was all. She was rather stupid. She was nothing remarkable, one way or another. This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge. Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now. No, he was never able to do that."
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 77/77 · 6 reading units · Lines 381–386
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.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading “Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.”
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading “This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.”
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading “This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.”
hold back within
From this reading “Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “She was rather stupid.”
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading “This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the 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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading No, he was never able to do that."
(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 That was all.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
for the reason that
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading No, he was never able to do that."
divisible by two
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading No, he was never able to do that."
not any; not one
From this reading No, he was never able to do that."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.
a person who lends money at interest in exchange for personal property that is deposited as security
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
on the contrary
From this reading She was rather stupid.
unusual or striking
From this reading She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
hold back within
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
cut with a saw
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was rather stupid.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading She was rather stupid.
express in words
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No, he was never able to do that."
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was all.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She was nothing remarkable, one way or another.
twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
From this reading This respectable pawnbroker saw that quite plainly: day by day he writhed under the knowledge.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Because, as I must tell you, he could not retain composure in her presence, even now.
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.
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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.
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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.
