Literary notes about Courier (AI summary)
In literature, “courier” is a multifaceted term that often signifies more than a mere messenger. It frequently appears as the pivotal link transmitting confidential dispatches or personal missives that drive the narrative forward, as when characters rely on a courier to deliver news or secret messages in critical moments [1, 2, 3]. At times the word also conveys an ironic or symbolic dimension—a figure whose human frailties, social roles, or even namesake legacy (as in a notable officer or intellectual) reflect broader themes of duty and miscommunication [4, 5, 6]. Moreover, “courier” can denote institutional voices such as periodicals that shape public discourse, further expanding its meaning beyond the individual to become a carrier of cultural and political currents [7, 8].
- “Give this to the courier to be delivered to Anna Arkadyevna tomorrow at the summer villa,” he said, getting up.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - “Do, please, for heaven’s sake, relieve me of something!” said the courier.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - Do not keep the courier more than six hours, and let him return at once to bring me the longed-for letter of my Beloved.
— from Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 by Emperor of the French Napoleon I - Paul Louis Courier (1772–1825) served with distinction as an officer in Napoleon's army.
— from On Love by Stendhal - We were six in number, clogged with all that baggage, and I was courier for the party—the most incapable one they ever employed.
— from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain - In his shadow could be seen germinating that future advocate-general of Broë, dedicated to the sarcasms of Paul-Louis Courier.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - "Steamboat on Lake Simcoe:" thus runs an advertisement in the Courier of Feb. 29, 1832.
— from Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding - He sent a cartel in due form in 1832 to Mr. Gurnett, editor of the Courier .
— from Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding