Literary notes about Encounter (AI summary)
The term "encounter" in literature is remarkably versatile, serving as a vehicle for both literal and symbolic meetings. In some narratives, it conveys an atmosphere of dread or avoidance—illustrated by a character’s shuddering reluctance to face fellow beings ([1], [2])—while in others it marks the precipice of epic conflict, setting the stage for decisive battles between heroes and formidable foes ([3], [4], [5]). At times, the word also captures subtle, transformative moments where a chance meeting becomes laden with profound personal or philosophical significance ([6], [7], [8]). Whether in the context of violent clash or introspective revelation, "encounter" enriches the text by encapsulating both physical confrontations and the inner struggles that define the human experience ([9], [10]).
- I felt as if I was about the commission of a dreadful crime, and avoided with shuddering anxiety any encounter with my fellow-creatures.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - I dreaded the encounter, and hid myself.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - The man was a sort of Knight of Rhodes, a latter–day Sir Dieudonné of Gozo, on his way to fight an encounter with the dragon devastating the island.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - Ere yet the stern encounter join'd, begun The seed of Thetis thus to Venus' son: "Why comes Æneas through the ranks so far?
— from The Iliad by Homer - Wherefore the king called unto him Sir Launcelot, and prayed him to encounter with that knight.
— from Le Morte d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory - Nicholas, on his part, was no less pleased to encounter his friend, whom he had not seen for some time; so, their greeting was a warm one.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - The only form of thing that we directly encounter, the only experience that we concretely have, is our own personal life.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James - She had looked forward with considerable uneasiness to her first encounter with her aunt.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - No more light was to be hoped for, henceforth, except the lightning of guns, no further encounter except the abrupt and rapid apparition of death.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - How many suspicions of selfishness and indifference had she to encounter and obstinately overcome.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
