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Under Western Eyes
Under Western Eyes

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Under Western Eyes is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Under Western Eyes
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.
Yes!
I rejoiced,” she began again.
For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.
They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Under Western Eyes

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Under Western Eyes is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.
Line 2
Yes!
/jes/
Line 3
I rejoiced,” she began again.
/aɪ rɪˈdʒɔɪst ʃiː bɪˈɡæn əˈɡen/
Line 4
For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.
Line 5
They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

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.

directed adjective US /dərˈektəd/

(often used in combination) having a specified direction

From this reading “She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.”

fiendish adjective US /ˈfiːndɪʃ/

extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell

From this reading “They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.”

folded verb US /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading “She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.”

heroic adjective US /hɪˈroʊɪk/

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

From this reading ““For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.”

lordly adjective US /ˈlɔːrdliː/

of or befitting a lord

From this reading “She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.”

meditation noun US /ˌmedəˈteɪʃən/

continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature

From this reading “She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.”

Ministries noun US /ˈmɪnɪstriz/

plural of “ministry” — religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)

From this reading “They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.”

rejoiced verb US /rɪˈdʒɔɪst/

past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy

From this reading “I rejoiced,” she began again.”

All words in this reading · 52

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 “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

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 They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

beatitudenoun

a state of supreme happiness

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading I rejoiced,” she began again.

catnounUS /kæt/

feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

directedadjectiveUS /dərˈektəd/

(often used in combination) having a specified direction

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

fiendishadjectiveUS /ˈfiːndɪʃ/

extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

foldedverbUS /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

Haldin

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

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

heartsnounUS /hɑːrts/

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

heroicadjectiveUS /hɪˈroʊɪk/

very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I rejoiced,” she began again.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

lordlyadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːrdliː/

of or befitting a lord

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

meditationnounUS /ˌmedəˈteɪʃən/

continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

MinistriesnounUS /ˈmɪnɪstriz/

plural of “ministry” — religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

rejoicedverbUS /rɪˈdʒɔɪst/

past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy

From this reading I rejoiced,” she began again.

reposed

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

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

ringverbUS /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

sphinx-like

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

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

sunshinenounUS /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/

the rays of the sun

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

tremblingnounUS /ˈtrembəlɪŋ/

a shaky motion

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading “For me there is a heroic ring about the very name of Haldin.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They must have been trembling with fear in their Ministries--all those men with fiendish hearts.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading She directed her round eyes again to the sunshine outside, while the cat reposed within her folded arms in lordly beatitude and sphinx-like meditation.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading “Yes!

Chapter 17 of Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 17 of Under Western Eyes contain?

Chapter 17 holds 203 sentences of Under Western Eyes, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 17 of Under Western Eyes?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 Under Western Eyes

Common questions about reading Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Under Western Eyes?

Yes. All 8310 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2480 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Under Western Eyes is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2480, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Under Western Eyes take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1662 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Under Western Eyes section by section

How to work through Under Western Eyes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Under Western Eyes 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 Under Western Eyes

Words and structures a reader meets early in Under Western Eyes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Liberty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Under Western Eyes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hungry
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Under Western Eyes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Snatch
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Under Western Eyes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Piece
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Under Western Eyes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.