Literary notes about Antediluvian (AI summary)
"Antediluvian" in literature often functions as a bridge between the mythic past and a critique of modernity. At times it is deployed literally to depict prehistoric eras and primeval creatures—Jules Verne, for instance, conjures images of enormous turtles and colossal reptiles that seem relics of a lost world [1, 2, 3, 4]. In other instances, the word carries a metaphorical weight, characterizing people, ideas, or customs as archaic and outmoded, whether humorously as in the portrayal of a stubborn, outdated character [5, 6, 7, 8] or in a more reflective tone that laments the passage of ancient traditions [9, 10]. This flexible usage underscores the literary allure of a time before the Flood, evoking an atmosphere of both wonder and wry commentary on contemporary absurdities.
- I thought I saw on the surface of the water those enormous antediluvian turtles as big as floating islands.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - In his hand was a branch of a tree, which served as a crook for this antediluvian shepherd.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - It was the Ape Gigans, the antediluvian gorilla.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - Am I, then, an inhabitant of the earth of the present day, destined to find myself face to face with a representative of this antediluvian family?
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - I’ve got an antediluvian aunt who lives 196 there, and we’ll go and foist ourselves on her.
— from The Phantom Lover by Ruby M. (Ruby Mildred) Ayres - His record in our card-index read: “He is most reactionary, not to say antediluvian.”
— from The Story of the Woman's Party by Inez Haynes Gillmore - I like to know the manners of my time—contemporary gossip, not antediluvian.
— from Daniel Deronda by George Eliot - You are antediluvian anyway, with your Nietzsche ideas.
— from Martin Eden by Jack London - I am inclined to think that it was made up of abstract propositions, derived from antediluvian traditions.
— from The symbolism of Freemasonry : by Albert Gallatin Mackey - ‘It is an extremely proud and pleasant thing, sir, to be an antediluvian,’ said the old lady.
— from American Notes by Charles Dickens
