Chapter 22 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oh, why are you rich?” Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you? I can do nothing for you.” He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love. “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
Chapter 22 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.”
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading ““When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading “He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.”
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
From this reading ““When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.”
Italian painter whose many paintings exemplify the ideals of the High Renaissance (1483-1520)
From this reading “Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?”
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading ““When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.”
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading “Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?”
inflected form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading “He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Oh, why are you rich?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can do nothing for you.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I can do nothing for you.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I can do nothing for you.”
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
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 “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can do nothing for you.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
a noblewoman ranking below a duchess and above a countess
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
not any; not one
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I can do nothing for you.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, why are you rich?”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
Italian painter whose many paintings exemplify the ideals of the High Renaissance (1483-1520)
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
possessing material wealth
From this reading “Oh, why are you rich?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading Raphael cried; “why is there no vanity in you?
at the time that
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Oh, why are you rich?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
inflected form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading He wrung his hands in despair and happiness and love.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Oh, why are you rich?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “When you are the Marquise de Valentin, I know that the title and the fortune for thee, heavenly soul, will not be worth----” “One hair of your head,” she cried.
Chapter 22 of The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac holds 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 22 holds 153 sentences of The Magic Skin, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 22 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 Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4696 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1307 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1307, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 391 minutes of reading across 940 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magic Skin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Magic Skin 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 Magic Skin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
