Chapter 1 of Narcissus is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Narcissus is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know." William Blake. At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat. Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove. It was a very fine severe little table.
Chapter 1 of Narcissus is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 small recess opening off a larger room
From this reading “Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.”
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading “William Blake.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.”
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “"Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.”
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading “It was a very fine severe little table.”
increase threefold
From this reading “Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.”
third-person singular of “venerate” — regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of
From this reading “"Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."”
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.
low table with mirror or mirrors where one sits while dressing or applying makeup
In this reading “Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.”
put clothing on one's body
In this reading “At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.”
In this reading “At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.”
In this reading “It was a very fine severe little table.”
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 "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
a small recess opening off a larger room
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading William Blake.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading It was a very fine severe little table.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a very fine severe little table.
plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
according to the clock
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading It was a very fine severe little table.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading At three o'clock in the afternoon Julia put on her hat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
increase threefold
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
third-person singular of “venerate” — regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of
From this reading "Nought loves another as itself, Nor venerates another so, Nor is it possible to thought A greater than itself to know."
precisely as stated
From this reading It was a very fine severe little table.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a very fine severe little table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William Blake.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Her dressing table with its triple mirror stood in an alcove.
Chapter 1 of Narcissus by Evelyn Scott holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of Narcissus, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Narcissus by Evelyn Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Narcissus by Evelyn Scott 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 Narcissus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Narcissus 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 Narcissus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
