Chapter 17 of The Jester is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Jester is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught. It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad. He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man. In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power. Truly a hard state.
Chapter 17 of The Jester is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
plural of “aphorism” — a short pithy instructive saying
From this reading “APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading “APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.”
past form of “mock” — treat with contempt
From this reading “He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.”
showing your contempt by derision
From this reading “In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.”
a widely distributed falcon formerly used in falconry
From this reading “APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.”
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading “It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Truly a hard state.”
in a vague way
From this reading “In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.”
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 “In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.”
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 APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
plural of “aphorism” — a short pithy instructive saying
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
next to; at the side of
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
the two together, not just one
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Truly a hard state.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
roused to anger
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
past form of “mock” — treat with contempt
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
showing your contempt by derision
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
a widely distributed falcon formerly used in falconry
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Truly a hard state.
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It may not be far beside the mark to term him mad.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Truly a hard state.
in a vague way
From this reading In both he saw vaguely the shadow of mockery by a Higher Power.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading APHORISMS FOR a time Peregrine was as one distraught.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading He saw himself in the past mocked by a woman; he saw himself now mocked by a man.
Chapter 17 of The Jester by LM (Leslie Moore) holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 17 holds 216 sentences of The Jester, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Jester by LM (Leslie Moore) exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 17 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 The Jester by LM (Leslie Moore) on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4103 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59648 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59648, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 341 minutes of reading across 821 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Jester section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Jester 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 The Jester, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
