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Literary notes about Composure (AI summary)

In literature, "composure" frequently functions as a marker of a character’s inner steadiness or surface calm in the midst of chaos, conflict, or emotional upheaval. Authors often depict characters maintaining impeccable composure to reflect control, dignity, or even defiance—as when Madame Defarge uses her perfect composure to distance herself emotionally in [1]—or to signal the suppression of inner turmoil, as seen when a character struggles to regain it in [2]. At times, the term underscores the fragile balance between inner resolve and vulnerability, illustrated by situations where loss of composure hints at deeper anxieties or despair, as in [3]. Whether serving to elevate a character’s elegance through calm reassurance [4] or to highlight the dramatic impact of emotional breakdown under pressure [5], the word enriches narrative tension and deepens our understanding of character dynamics.
  1. “Your husband is not my business here,” returned Madame Defarge, looking down at her with perfect composure.
    — from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  2. I tried in vain to recover my composure.
    — from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne
  3. I am not lying,” cried Dounia, losing her composure.
    — from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  4. But, to his surprise, Anna accepted the information with great composure, and merely asked when he would be back.
    — from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
  5. What power of cannon might it take to shake that rusty old man out of his immovable composure?
    — from Bleak House by Charles Dickens

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