Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Mayor of Casterbridge is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 21 of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 21 of The Mayor of Casterbridge contain?

Chapter 21 holds 186 sentences of The Mayor of Casterbridge, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 21 of The Mayor of Casterbridge?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Mayor of Casterbridge

Common questions about reading The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mayor of Casterbridge?

Yes. All 6709 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #143 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mayor of Casterbridge is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #143, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mayor of Casterbridge take to read?

About 559 minutes of reading across 1342 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mayor of Casterbridge section by section

How to work through The Mayor of Casterbridge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Mayor of Casterbridge to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Mayor of Casterbridge

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mayor of Casterbridge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Cover
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mayor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Casterbridge
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Death
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor of Casterbridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for The Mayor of Casterbridge
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.
Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.
Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.
Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”
he cried with fierce gaiety.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Mayor of Casterbridge is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.
Line 2
Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.
Line 3
Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.
Line 4
Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”
Line 5
he cried with fierce gaiety.
All words in this reading · 60

Every word is available to listen to. 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 Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

an

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

and

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

appeared

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

August

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

bearing

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

been

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

blaze

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

but

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

careless

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

commiserated

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

cried

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

From this reading he cried with fierce gaiety.

day

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

dealings

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

did

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

early

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

exchange

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

Farfrae

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

fierce

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

From this reading he cried with fierce gaiety.

for

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

gaiety

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

From this reading he cried with fierce gaiety.

guess

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

had

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

he

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

Henchard

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

him

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

himself

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

his

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

Ho

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

From this reading “Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”

In

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

intended

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

knew

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

man

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

From this reading “Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”

market-place

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

met

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

moment

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

no

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

From this reading “Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”

not

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

nothing

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

From this reading “Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”

of

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

on

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

resent

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

serious

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

From this reading “Ho, no, no!—nothing serious, man!”

since

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

South

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

speaking

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

stiffly

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

suddenly

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

sympathy

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

terms

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

the

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

From this reading In the blaze of an early August day he met Farfrae in the market-place.

their

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

they

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

though

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

to

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

took

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

turn

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

From this reading Henchard for the moment appeared to resent the sympathy; but he suddenly took a careless turn.

Walk

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.

with

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

From this reading he cried with fierce gaiety.

words

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

From this reading Farfrae knew of his dealings (though he did not guess their intended bearing on himself) and commiserated him; for since their exchange of words in the South Walk they had been on stiffly speaking terms.