Chapter 18 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then." "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that. I'm greatly interested. Is the portrait good?" "I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.
Chapter 18 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading “I'm greatly interested.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “"I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.”
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading “I'm greatly interested.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “"She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “"She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “"Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.”
To recall to mind.
From this reading “"Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “"She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Is the portrait good?"
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading I'm greatly interested.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm greatly interested.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading I'm greatly interested.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is the portrait good?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I haven't the least idea--I didn't look at it.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
To recall to mind.
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Is the portrait good?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "She's sitting to him for her portrait--at least she was then."
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh yes, I remember--I put him up to that.
Chapter 18 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 18 holds 409 sentences of The Tragic Muse, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 18 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 Tragic Muse by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11417 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20085 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20085, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2284 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tragic Muse section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Tragic Muse 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 Tragic Muse, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
