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The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Leo, graf Tolstoy • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XIV Reading 1/39

The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories Leo, graf Tolstoy

Cover illustration for The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

“The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors. Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing. Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture. Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too. Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

Line 2

Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

Line 3

Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

Line 4

Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

Line 5

Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

All words in this reading · 71

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

after

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

another

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

anxiety

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

are

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

because

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

birth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

but

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

came

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

care

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

cause

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

children

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

die

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

do

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

doctors

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

fall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

fear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

feel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

fulfilment

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

give

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

happened

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

happens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

her

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

instinct

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

interminable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

is

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

joy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

love

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

maternal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

may

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

my

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

nor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

not

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

nurse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

one

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

our

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

painful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

pride

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

rapidly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

ready

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

really

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

say

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

sick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

society

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

strong

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

such

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

suffering

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

The

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

them

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

they

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

thing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

think

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

too

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

torture

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

vocation

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

what

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

wife

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

wish

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children to them are really a torture, not because they do not wish to give birth to them, nurse them, and care for them (women with a strong maternal instinct—and such was my wife—are ready to do that), but because the children may fall sick and die.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The children came rapidly, one after another, and there happened what happens in our society with children and doctors.

woman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Children, to a woman of our society, are not a joy, a pride, nor a fulfilment of her vocation, but a cause of fear, anxiety, and interminable suffering, torture.

Women

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Women say it, they think it, and they feel it too.

Yes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yes, children, maternal love, it is a painful thing.

Chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Leo, graf Tolstoy holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

What does chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 14 holds 198 sentences of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Leo, graf Tolstoy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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.

Can chapter 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Common questions about reading The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Leo, graf Tolstoy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories?

Yes. All 3753 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #689, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories take to read?

About 312 minutes of reading across 751 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories section by section

How to work through The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Candle: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Translator: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Comparing: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.