Chapter 27 of Madame Bovary is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Madame Bovary is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat. Léon walked along the pavement. She followed him to the hotel. He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace! Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
Chapter 27 of Madame Bovary is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
a game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target
From this reading “She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.”
include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading “He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!”
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading “She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.”
past form of “gush” — gush forth in a sudden stream or jet
From this reading “Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “She followed him to the hotel.”
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading “Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.”
the paved surface of a thoroughfare
From this reading “Léon walked along the pavement.”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.”
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 She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
later than; following
From this reading Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Léon walked along the pavement.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
a game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading She followed him to the hotel.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
past form of “gush” — gush forth in a sudden stream or jet
From this reading Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading She followed him to the hotel.
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Léon walked along the pavement.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
the paved surface of a thoroughfare
From this reading Léon walked along the pavement.
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Léon walked along the pavement.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She followed him to the hotel.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair that escaped from beneath his hat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Léon walked along the pavement.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He went up, opened the door, entered--What an embrace!
the words that are spoken
From this reading Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth.
Chapter 27 of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 27 holds 176 sentences of Madame Bovary, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 27 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 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6429 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2413 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2413, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 535 minutes of reading across 1286 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Madame Bovary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Madame Bovary 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 Madame Bovary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
