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Cover of The Lesser Bourgeoisie
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

The Lesser Bourgeoisie

The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honoré de Balzac is available here as the complete text, split into 1483 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

Honoré de Balzac35 chapters

The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honoré de Balzac. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #1641.

35 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary
Open Chapter I

Academic course · 35 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

The Lesser Bourgeoisie

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 1467 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

  1. Chapter I Departing Paris 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  2. Chapter II The History of a Tyranny 33 readings five lines each Open chapter
  3. Chapter III Colleville 20 readings five lines each Open chapter
  4. Chapter IV The Circle of Monsieur and Madame Thuillier 44 readings five lines each Open chapter
  5. Chapter V A Principal Personage 53 readings five lines each Open chapter
  6. Chapter VI A Keynote 37 readings five lines each Open chapter
  7. Chapter VII The Worthy Phellions 45 readings five lines each Open chapter
  8. Chapter VIII Ad Majorem Theodosis Gloriam 72 readings five lines each Open chapter
  9. Chapter IX The Banker of the Poor 24 readings five lines each Open chapter
  10. Chapter X How Brigitte Was Won 34 readings five lines each Open chapter
  11. Chapter XI The Reign of Theodose 17 readings five lines each Open chapter
  12. Chapter XII Devils Against Devils 66 readings five lines each Open chapter
  13. Chapter XIII The Perversity of Doves 36 readings five lines each Open chapter
  14. Chapter XIV One of Cerizet’s Female Clients 30 readings five lines each Open chapter
  15. Chapter XV 57 readings five lines each Open chapter
  16. Chapter XVI Du Portail 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  17. Chapter XVII In Which the Lamb Devours the Wolf 49 readings five lines each Open chapter
  18. Chapter XVIII Set a Saint to Catch a Saint 28 readings five lines each Open chapter
  19. Chapter XIX Phellion, Under a New Aspect 25 readings five lines each Open chapter
  20. Chapter XX The Provencal’s Present Position 38 readings five lines each Open chapter
  21. Chapter XXI Good Blood Cannot Lie 50 readings five lines each Open chapter
  22. Chapter XXII Hungary Versus Provence 25 readings five lines each Open chapter
  23. Chapter XXIII Showing How Near the Tarpeian Rock Is to the Capitol 43 readings five lines each Open chapter
  24. Chapter XXIV ‘Twas Thus They Bade Adieu 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  25. Chapter XXV How to Shut the Door in People’s Faces 33 readings five lines each Open chapter
  26. Chapter XXVI 75 readings five lines each Open chapter
  27. Chapter XXVII Give and Take 84 readings five lines each Open chapter
  28. Chapter XXVIII 39 readings five lines each Open chapter
  29. Chapter XXIX Explanations and What Came of Them 65 readings five lines each Open chapter
  30. Chapter XXX A Star 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  31. Chapter XXXI The Man Who Thinks the Star Too Bright 35 readings five lines each Open chapter
  32. Chapter XXXII A Stormy Day 84 readings five lines each Open chapter
  33. Chapter XXXIII At du Portail’s 55 readings five lines each Open chapter
  34. Chapter XXXIV Checkmate to Thuillier 34 readings five lines each Open chapter
  35. Chapter XXXV In the Exercise of His Functions 26 readings five lines each Open chapter

This edition of The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honoré de Balzac carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #1641, divided into 35 chapters and 1483 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

Where can I read The Lesser Bourgeoisie in full?

The complete text of The Lesser Bourgeoisie is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #1641 and divided into 1483 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honoré de Balzac, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1641, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 7414 sentences across 35 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.

How is The Lesser Bourgeoisie divided for reading?

The Lesser Bourgeoisie is presented in 35 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Lesser Bourgeoisie as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 1483 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The sections are gathered into 35 chapters.

Can I hear The Lesser Bourgeoisie read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Lesser Bourgeoisie can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Lesser Bourgeoisie can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.

Questions about reading The Lesser Bourgeoisie

Common questions about reading The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Lesser Bourgeoisie?

Yes. All 7414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1641 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Lesser Bourgeoisie is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1641, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Lesser Bourgeoisie take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1483 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Lesser Bourgeoisie section by section

How to work through The Lesser Bourgeoisie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Lesser Bourgeoisie 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 The Lesser Bourgeoisie

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Lesser Bourgeoisie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tourniquet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lesser Bourgeoisie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Saint-jean
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lesser Bourgeoisie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Narrow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lesser Bourgeoisie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Passage
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lesser Bourgeoisie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.