Literary notes about Disguise (AI summary)
In literature, disguise is a versatile device serving both literal and metaphorical purposes. Characters don physical disguises to traverse unfamiliar territories or hide their true identities, as seen when a narrative figure throws off his black cassock to reveal his authentic self ([1]) or when one masquerades intentionally to avoid detection ([2]). Beyond mere clothing, disguise becomes a symbol for the concealment of emotions or truths; a character might withhold the display of inner despair or joy, choosing not to mask—or to reveal—their genuine feelings ([3], [4]). Authors also use the term in a broader, more figurative sense, suggesting that cloaked intentions or even social pretensions can both mislead and illuminate hidden realities ([5], [6]). Thus, disguise in literature is not solely about altering outward appearances, but also about exploring the complexities of identity and perception.
- He rose, and throwing off the black cassock and hat which had formed his disguise, he packed them away in a hand-bag.
— from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - There I put on this disguise, and, accompanied by the servant, proceeded to meet him.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - “At least I hope so,” said the novice, with an expression of joy which she made no effort to disguise.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - how can I bear it?’ was the first sentence he uttered, in a tone that did not seek to disguise his despair.
— from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - The wealth of two empires was ostentatiously displayed; and many senators completed their ruin, by an expensive effort to disguise their poverty.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - “It would be quite unnecessary,” replied Ratchcali, “for a man in my present situation to equivocate or disguise the truth.
— from The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete by T. Smollett