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Literary notes about Cursorily (AI summary)

In literature, "cursorily" frequently conveys a sense of brief, superficial treatment—whether referring to a casual inspection, fleeting glance, or passing mention. Authors employ it to indicate that a subject or detail is acknowledged only in a rapid, perfunctory manner, as when a ship is inspected without careful scrutiny [1] or a character’s remark is delivered in a dismissive tone [2]. At times, it signifies that complex ideas, historical facts, or legal intricacies are treated without extensive elaboration, as seen when intricate topics are merely alluded to [3] or when documents and narratives are summarized without deeper analysis [4]. This versatile adverb enriches prose by marking transitions between detailed exploration and brief acknowledgment, thereby subtly shaping both tone and narrative focus.
  1. Shortly before the passengers arrived, the ship was cursorily inspected.
    — from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson
  2. "Yes, but rather cursorily," Quarles answered.
    — from The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher Quarles by Percy James Brebner
  3. All these difficulties are well known, therefore I refer to them only cursorily.
    — from The Jewish State by Theodor Herzl
  4. Of the other two I will speak only cursorily.
    — from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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