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Literary notes about Building (AI summary)

The word "building" in literature is remarkably versatile—it can denote a tangible structure, a process or act of construction, and even a metaphor for developing ideas or institutions. In some works, it unambiguously labels physical constructions: cathedrals rendered with detail in [1] and modest offices described in [2]. In other texts, "building" embodies the process of creation itself, as seen when authors depict the meticulous construction of temples or houses, whether those referring to a literal house [3] or metaphorically assembling one's reputation [4]. Moreover, the term may imply decay or transformation, highlighting shifts from stability to deterioration (for example, [5]) or signaling the broader evolution of society, as in the discussions surrounding civic architecture [6]. Through these diverse usages, "building" connects the physical realm with abstract human endeavors, symbolizing both concrete shelter and the existential act of creating order out of chaos.
  1. The old Cathedral of San Lorenzo is about as notable a building as we have found in Genoa.
    — from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
  2. One evening I was walking quietly through the garden on my way back from the building.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  3. This was the roof of the New Building.
    — from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  4. That’s what he was building upon....
    — from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  5. When a building seems clumsy and tottering to the eye, it is ugly and disagreeable; though we be fully assured of the solidity of the workmanship.
    — from A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume
  6. It has now been explained how limitations of building space necessarily forbid the employment of brick walls within the city.
    — from The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

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