Literary notes about Contemplate (AI summary)
The word "contemplate" in literature often denotes a deliberate, thoughtful engagement with both the outer world and inner emotions. Writers use it to evoke a sense of measured introspection, as when a character reflects deeply on love, grief, or even the mysteries of the universe [1, 2]. It can capture the act of beholding beauty in a scene or object, inviting readers to share in an unhurried, appreciative observation of nature or art [3, 4, 5]. At other times, the term conveys a more analytical or philosophical pondering, urging the mind to consider profound abstract ideas or the unfolding consequences of events [6, 7, 8]. Whether depicting personal sentiment, aesthetic delight, or intellectual inquiry, the term consistently enriches the narrative by linking careful reflection with a wider, often moral or existential, understanding of life [9, 10, 11].
- From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and voiceless grief of my Elizabeth.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Then, O Bharata, that tiger among men, Krishna, observing Partha contemplate her with absorbed attention, said with a smile, ‘How is this?
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - It was a fine, clear, autumn morning, when they came upon the scene of his promotion, and stopped to contemplate its beauties.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - ‘There are shades in all good pictures, but there are lights too, if we choose to contemplate them,’ said the gentleman with the merry face.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - I moved away a little, the better to contemplate the treasures that love displayed before me.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - Dost thou not see that this world we live in keeps all its sight confined within, and its eyes open to contemplate itself?
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne - A system of government, meant for duration, ought to contemplate these revolutions, and be able to accommodate itself to them.
— from The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison - 47. Contemplate the courses of the stars, as one should do that revolves along with them.
— from The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius - I walk amongst men as the fragments of the future: that future which I contemplate.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - ‘Unless I deceive myself, Mr. Traddles,’ pursued Mr. Micawber, ‘what I contemplate is a disclosure of an important nature.’
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - How is it then that we can bear to contemplate him; nay, that, if we really imagine him, we feel admiration and some kind of sympathy?
— from Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth by A. C. Bradley