Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The nigger of the "Narcissus"
The nigger of the "Narcissus"

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Joseph Conrad • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The nigger of the "Narcissus"
Context Illustration Reading 36/89 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.
He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.
He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.
His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.
The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.
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 nigger of the "Narcissus"

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 36/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 176–180

Line 1
He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.
/hiː stʊd wɪð ɑːrmz əˈkɪmboʊ ə ˈlɪtəl ˈfeloʊ wɪð waɪt ˈaɪlæʃɪz/
Line 2
He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.
Line 3
He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.
/hiː lʊkt æz ɪf hiː hæd bɪn kʌft kɪkt roʊld ɪn ðə mʌd hiː lʊkt æz ɪf hiː hæd bɪn skrætʃt spæt əˈpɑːn ˈpeltɪd wɪð ənˈmenʃənəbəl fɪlθ ənd hiː smaɪld wɪð ə sens ʌv sɪˈkjʊrəti æt ðə ˈfeɪsəz ərˈaʊnd/
Line 4
His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.
/hɪz ɪrz wɜːr ˈbendɪŋ daʊn ˈʌndər ðə weɪt ʌv hɪz ˈbætərd felt hæt/
Line 5
The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.
/ðə tɔːrn teɪlz ʌv hɪz blæk koʊt flæpt ɪn ˈfrɪndʒɪz əˈbaʊt ðə kævz ʌv hɪz leɡz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

akimbo adjective US /əˈkɪmboʊ/

(used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body

From this reading “He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cuffed verb US /kʌft/

past form of “cuff” — hit with the hand

From this reading “He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
degradations noun US /ˌdeɡrəˈdeɪʃənz/

plural of “degradation” — changing to a lower state (a less respected state)

From this reading “He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyelashes noun US /ˈaɪlæʃɪz/

plural of “eyelash” — any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

From this reading “He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flapped verb US /flæpt/

inflected form of “flap” — move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion

From this reading “The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fringes noun US /ˈfrɪndʒɪz/

plural of “fringe” — the outside boundary or surface of something

From this reading “The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pelted verb US /ˈpeltɪd/

past form of “pelt” — cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile

From this reading “He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unmentionable noun US /ənˈmenʃənəbəl/

a garment worn under other garments

From this reading “He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
akimboadjectiveUS /əˈkɪmboʊ/

(used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
batteredadjectiveUS /ˈbætərd/

damaged by blows or hard usage

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/

movement that causes the formation of a curve

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
calvesnounUS /kævz/

plural of “calf” — young of domestic cattle

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cuffedverbUS /kʌft/

past form of “cuff” — hit with the hand

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
degradationsnounUS /ˌdeɡrəˈdeɪʃənz/

plural of “degradation” — changing to a lower state (a less respected state)

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
earsnounUS /ɪrz/

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyelashesnounUS /ˈaɪlæʃɪz/

plural of “eyelash” — any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
facesnounUS /ˈfeɪsəz/

plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
filthnounUS /fɪlθ/

any substance considered disgustingly foul or unpleasant

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flappedverbUS /flæpt/

inflected form of “flap” — move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fringesnounUS /ˈfrɪndʒɪz/

plural of “fringe” — the outside boundary or surface of something

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
furies

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

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

Pending verification
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hatnounUS /hæt/

headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
kickedverbUS /kɪkt/

past form of “kick” — drive or propel with the foot

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
legsnounUS /leɡz/

staying power

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mudnounUS /mʌd/

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
peltedverbUS /ˈpeltɪd/

past form of “pelt” — cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rolledadjectiveUS /roʊld/

especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scratchedverbUS /skrætʃt/

past form of “scratch” — cause friction

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
securitynounUS /sɪˈkjʊrəti/

the state of being free from danger or injury

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sensenounUS /sens/

a general conscious awareness

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spatverbUS /spæt/

come down like raindrops

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

Velmora curated lexicon
tailsnounUS /teɪlz/

formalwear consisting of full evening dress for men

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading He looked as if he had known all the degradations and all the furies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tornadjectiveUS /tɔːrn/

having edges that are jagged from injury

From this reading The torn tails of his black coat flapped in fringes about the calves of his legs.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
unmentionablenounUS /ənˈmenʃənəbəl/

a garment worn under other garments

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading He looked as if he had been cuffed, kicked, rolled in the mud; he looked as if he had been scratched, spat upon, pelted with unmentionable filth ... and he smiled with a sense of security at the faces around.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
weightnounUS /weɪt/

the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading His ears were bending down under the weight of his battered felt hat.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He stood with arms akimbo, a little fellow with white eyelashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" by Joseph Conrad holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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.

What does chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" contain?

Chapter 1 holds 449 sentences of The nigger of the "Narcissus", unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus"?

Work through the 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 90 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The nigger of the "Narcissus"

Common questions about reading The nigger of the "Narcissus" by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The nigger of the "Narcissus"?

Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17731 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The nigger of the "Narcissus" is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #17731, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The nigger of the "Narcissus" take to read?

About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The nigger of the "Narcissus" section by section

How to work through The nigger of the "Narcissus" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of The nigger of the "Narcissus" 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 nigger of the "Narcissus"

Words and structures a reader meets early in The nigger of the "Narcissus", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Evening
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The nigger of the "Narcissus"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
James
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The nigger of the "Narcissus"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Joined
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The nigger of the "Narcissus"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Muster
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The nigger of the "Narcissus"; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.