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Literary notes about Espial (AI summary)

In literature, espial often signifies more than mere observation—it conveys a sense of secret, sometimes even forbidden, surveillance that adds a layer of tension or mystique to a narrative. Writers use the term to denote both the physical act of watching and a deeper, almost intuitive form of perception, whether it be the clandestine monitoring of a character’s actions or a symbolic glance that unveils hidden truths [1] [2]. In some works, espial becomes a poetic device that transforms the act of looking into an expression of inner emotion or fate, imbuing ordinary sight with an almost prophetic quality [3] [4]. At the same time, its use can be charged with disapproval or caution, as when characters bemoan the intrusive nature of such observation in settings fraught with political or personal betrayal [5] [6].
  1. —“Symbol, before the clay’s denial, While yet I had a god’s espial, I saw thee in a solar field!”
    — from The Martyrs' Idyl, and Shorter Poems by Louise Imogen Guiney
  2. Among the crowd entering the Exhibition he could easily keep her in sight without risk of his espial being detected.
    — from Eve's Ransom by George Gissing
  3. Then wisdom altered its method and spoke of espial and discovery.
    — from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  4. Her mother’s small mind yet had an uncanny power of partial divination, gained from years of experience and espial, that irritated while it impressed.
    — from The Wayfarers by Mary Stewart Cutting
  5. The established companies might fairly say, that they have done no wrong, and that a close espial by a government agent would be derogatory.
    — from Annals, Anecdotes and Legends: A Chronicle of Life Assurance by Francis, John, of the Bank of England
  6. The espial was rewarded and punished in swift sequence.
    — from The Helpers by Francis Lynde

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