Literary notes about But (AI summary)
The word "but" in literature is a versatile conjunction that highlights contrast, contradiction, or an unexpected twist in the narrative. It can indicate a sudden shift in tone or events, as seen when an army of rats disrupts a peaceful scene in [1] or when a character emphatically insists on a point in dialogue as in [2]. Sometimes it functions to limit or qualify a statement—as in [3], where “but nine years old” subtly emphasizes youth—while at other times it links sequences of events, enhances dramatic tension, or even introduces exceptions to general statements, as in several examples throughout the collection ([4], [5], [6]). In each usage, "but" serves to refine meaning, challenge expectations, and push the narrative forward by marking key transitions or contrasts.
- But next morning an army of rats, having eaten all the corn in his granaries, darkened the roads to the palace.
— from Demonology and Devil-lore by Moncure Daniel Conway - But I said that beast was darned, and darned it is.
— from Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery - My grandfather, also named Noah, was then but nine years old.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant - He won a lot of money, but lost it, and with it a deal more besides, which he promised to raise as soon as possible.
— from The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain - I tried to calm him, that we might come to something rational; but he got hotter and hotter, and wouldn’t hear a word.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - You spoke just now of love, but it would be enough for me to have you near, to hear your voice, to watch the look in your face ...!"
— from The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
