Chapter 37 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVII
Chapter 37 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY. It is a terrible thing to be happy! How satisfied people are! How sufficient they find it! How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
Chapter 37 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading “How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading “How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!”
characterized by or given to yielding to the wishes of someone
From this reading “PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.”
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading “PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!”
filled with satisfaction
From this reading “How satisfied people are!”
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading “How sufficient they find it!”
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading “PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.”
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 “It is a terrible thing to be happy!”
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 It is a terrible thing to be happy!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How satisfied people are!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading How sufficient they find it!
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How satisfied people are!
characterized by or given to yielding to the wishes of someone
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a terrible thing to be happy!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a terrible thing to be happy!
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading How satisfied people are!
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
filled with satisfaction
From this reading How satisfied people are!
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading How sufficient they find it!
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading It is a terrible thing to be happy!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How sufficient they find it!
a special situation
From this reading It is a terrible thing to be happy!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading PITY THE UNHAPPY, BUT BE INDULGENT TO THE HAPPY.
at the time that
From this reading How, when possessed of the false object of life, happiness, they forget the true one, duty!
Chapter 37 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 37 holds 80 sentences of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 37 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 37 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, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48735 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48735, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean 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, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
