Chapter 23 of Under Western Eyes is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Under Western Eyes is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist. He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake. “Do you understand, enigmatical young man? It has got to be just filled up.” Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.
Chapter 23 of Under Western Eyes is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
muscular and heavily built
From this reading “A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.”
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading “A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.”
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading “He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.”
a supporter of feminism
From this reading “A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.”
emotionally unmoved
From this reading “Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.”
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 A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
muscular and heavily built
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
From this reading Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you understand, enigmatical young man?
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
not clear to the understanding
From this reading “Do you understand, enigmatical young man?
a supporter of feminism
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
a feeling facetious merriment
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
and nothing more
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Do you understand, enigmatical young man?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading He seized Razumov’s arm above the elbow, and gave it a slight shake.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading A sort of sinister jocularity had crept into the tones of the burly feminist.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “Do you understand, enigmatical young man?
emotionally unmoved
From this reading Razumov kept an unmoved countenance.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It has got to be just filled up.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you understand, enigmatical young man?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Do you understand, enigmatical young man?
Chapter 23 of Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 191 sentences of Under Western Eyes, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8310 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2480 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2480, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1662 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under Western Eyes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Under Western Eyes 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 Under Western Eyes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
