Chapter 23 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed. "That I 'do know' what?" "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible." "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent. "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
Chapter 23 of The Tragic Muse is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading “He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.”
agreement with a statement or proposal to do something
From this reading “"Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.”
very strong; urgently felt
From this reading “"That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."”
with fatal consequences or implications
From this reading “"Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.”
state of being gratified or satisfied
From this reading “"Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.”
come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading “"Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.”
third-person singular of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading “"Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.”
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading “"Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
a cherished desire
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
agreement with a statement or proposal to do something
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
very strong; urgently felt
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "That I 'do know' what?"
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
with fatal consequences or implications
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
state of being gratified or satisfied
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "That I 'do know' what?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
third-person singular of “interfere” — come between so as to be hindrance or obstacle
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "That I 'do know' what?"
a particular point in time
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That I 'do know' what?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "That I 'do know' what?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He paused a moment; on which, as quite vague, she appealed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh impossible, my friend!" she sighed, but with a quickness in her assent.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Very good; it interferes, the gratification of it would interfere fatally, with the ambition of each of us.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "That I've a consuming passion for you and that it's impossible."
Chapter 23 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 23 holds 400 sentences of The Tragic Muse, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Tragic Muse by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 23 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.
