Literary notes about Dabble (AI summary)
The word "dabble" has been employed by various authors to suggest a casual or intermittent engagement with an activity, whether it be scientific, occult, or even playful in nature. In Arthur Conan Doyle’s work [1], the term conveys a certain nonchalance about experimenting with dangerous substances, while in Nesta Helen Webster’s text [2] it warns of the light yet potentially perilous flirtation with occult practices. Edgar Allan Poe’s reference [3] employs the term with a critical tone, criticizing the notion that engaging superficially with something as messy as mud requires little intellectual effort. Conversely, Michel de Montaigne [4] uses "dabble" in a more buoyant sense, highlighting a joyful, almost innocent interaction with nature. Together, these examples illustrate the word’s versatility in conveying both the casualness and the potential consequences of lightly engaging with diverse subjects.
- “I have to be careful,” he continued, turning to me with a smile, “for I dabble with poisons a good deal.”
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - 838 It would be well if every Gentile who has been tempted to dabble in occultism were to realize this source of inspiration.
— from Secret societies and subversive movements by Nesta Helen Webster - But there never was entertained a more erroneous idea than that it requires no brains to mud-dabble.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - I love rain, and to dabble in the dirt, as well as ducks do.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne
