Chapter 19 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So much as what?" He couldn't but wonder. "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature. I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly. Peter stared.
Chapter 19 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 female actor
From this reading “"I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.”
adult female chicken
From this reading “I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “"I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “Peter stared.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “Peter stared.”
in a startling manner
From this reading “I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.”
lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
From this reading “"I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “He couldn't but wonder.”
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 female actor
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "So much as what?"
adult female chicken
From this reading I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He couldn't but wonder.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He couldn't but wonder.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He couldn't but wonder.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "So much as what?"
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Peter stared.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So much as what?"
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Peter stared.
in a startling manner
From this reading I don't like her!" said Biddy almost startlingly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
From this reading "I don't care for his actress--for that vulgar creature.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "So much as what?"
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading He couldn't but wonder.
Chapter 19 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 19 holds 430 sentences of The Tragic Muse, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 19 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.
