Chapter 19 of Là-bas is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Là-bas is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard. Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word. Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out. She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve. He took her hand.
Chapter 19 of Là-bas is here in full — 241 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
troubled emotionally and usually deeply
From this reading “She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.”
easily agitated
From this reading “She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.”
formality and propriety of manner
From this reading “She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.”
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading “In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.”
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading “Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.”
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading “Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.”
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading “Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.”
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 In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
troubled emotionally and usually deeply
From this reading She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He took her hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
a particular point in time
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
easily agitated
From this reading She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
above and across; more than
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
formality and propriety of manner
From this reading She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She seemed agitated and nervous beneath her reserve.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took her hand.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading In a fiacre they went up the rue de Vaugirard.
at the time that
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading Durtal looked closely at her when, as they passed a street lamp, a shaft of light played over her veil a moment, then winked out.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Mme. Chantelouve was as in a shell and spoke not a word.
Chapter 19 of Là-bas by J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans holds 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 19 holds 241 sentences of Là-bas, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Là-bas by J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 241 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 19 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 Là-bas by J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans 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 Là-bas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Là-bas 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 Là-bas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
