Literary notes about Ambiguity (AI summary)
In literature, "ambiguity" functions both as a creative device and a source of analytical challenge. It is employed to capture the multiplicity of meanings that words and phrases can evoke, as when theological or historical texts reveal the uncertainty inherent in language [1, 2]. Philosophers and ethicists, meanwhile, highlight ambiguity to expose the elusive nature of abstract ideas—ranging from time and freedom to the moral nuances underlying human behavior [3, 4]. Narrative works also leverage ambiguity to deepen character studies or to invite the reader into a space of reflective interpretation regarding personal circumstances and motives [5, 6]. Conversely, in technical writings and legal discourse, authors stress the importance of eliminating ambiguity to achieve precision and clarity [7, 8]. Overall, the varied use of "ambiguity" in literature underscores its power to both enrich meaning and challenge our understanding of language itself.
- Owing to the ambiguity of the Greek, it may also be understood "his own adversary."
— from The City of God, Volume II by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - The Latin version has carefully preserved the ambiguity, filiam Escam uxorem.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - Time is now stripped to its rightful nature-a simple essence of ambiguity!
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - A like ambiguity and circumlocution seem to run through that philosopher's reasonings on this as well as most other subjects.
— from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume - Lily was in fact becoming more and more aware of a certain ambiguity in her situation.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - A mysterious something—a fatal misgiving—a dark ambiguity—an equivocal mistrust oppresses me.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - Thus, your first five moves might be C, H, G, E, F; and this notation can have no possible ambiguity.
— from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney - When two or more separate objects are spoken of as possessed, a possessive should precede the name of each if there is danger of ambiguity.
— from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge
