Literary notes about Crowd (AI summary)
The word “crowd” in literature is employed as a versatile emblem of collective human behavior. At times it conveys deference or servility, as when a subservient mass revels in its master’s vices [1], while in other instances it captures the beauty and spontaneity of communal emotion [2]. Authors also use the term to signal kinetic social dynamics or to highlight the ambivalence of public reaction—illustrated by stirring scenes of approval, agitation, or even disdain [3, 4]. Whether symbolizing a vehicle for societal control or evoking the overwhelming force of urban life [5, 6], “crowd” emerges as a narrative tool that vividly reflects the complexity and contradictory nature of human assemblies.
- The servile crowd, whose fortune depended on their master's vices, applauded these ignoble pursuits.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - Regardless of the gathering crowd, Bright as the moon without a cloud, She bent her eyes, no longer dim, In joy and trusting love on him.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - The hatred and contempt of the crowd punish such men for discerning the higher laws.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - The task of applause was not abandoned to the rude and spontaneous voices of the crowd.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - It was a big crowd and we weren't allowed to move freely through it.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - Hearing their favourite tune, the crowd gasped and rushed off to the tavern.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
