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Literary notes about Document (AI summary)

In literature the term “document” often functions as much more than a mere piece of paper—it becomes a symbol loaded with authority, mystery, and historical resonance. Authors employ documents as tangible evidence of legal rights or personal agreements, as seen in Casanova’s transferring of rights ([1], [2], [3]), while Dickens and Verne use them as pivotal plot devices that unlock secrets or determine fates ([4], [5], [6]). In some works, a document’s physical form is central to the narrative’s suspense—a missing or discovered document may set events in motion ([7], [8], [9]). Meanwhile, in historical or political texts, documents embody formal records and legal proclamations, underscoring their role in governance and collective memory ([10], [11]). Whether arranged meticulously or produced on the fly, the document in these literary examples serves not only as a bearer of official weight but also as a bridge between personal drama and the broader tapestry of history.
  1. In this document he transferred to me all rights over the contents of the casino, and charged him to consider me in all things as his master.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  2. This document, to which I affixed my signature, was laid before the criminal lieutenant.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  3. I opened the document, and found it was signed “Louis.”
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  4. ' Turning his back and turning a key, Mr Venus produced the document, holding on by his usual corner.
    — from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
  5. Since it was your intention to live alone, why did you throw into the sea the document which put us on your track?”
    — from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
  6. And so, as you have honoured me by anticipating, I examined the document.
    — from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
  7. The morning wore on without the desired document making its appearance, and I feared they would slip through my fingers altogether.
    — from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow
  8. That I told them bluntly must be a lie, [pg 129] but they would not confess the source from which they had obtained the document.
    — from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow
  9. “Yes, the document which we found enclosed in a bottle, giving us the exact position of Tabor Island!”
    — from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
  10. 3 Congressional Record , December 5, 1898, p. 5. 4 Senate Document 169 , 55th Cong., 3d Sess.
    — from The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912 by James H. Blount
  11. Let the calamitie of an other be a sufficient document for you, to beware like iniuries.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson

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