Literary notes about Expectancy (AI summary)
The term "expectancy" has been employed in literature to evoke a rich tapestry of emotional and cognitive states, ranging from the intoxicating thrill of anticipation to the palpable tension amidst uncertainty. In many works, it serves to illustrate moments of heightened alertness and emotional intensity—as when a character experiences a numbing mix of desire and anxiety at the prospect of an awaited arrival [1, 2], or when a subtle, almost fearful anticipation permeates the air [3]. Authors have used the term not only to capture personal emotion, as in the feverish expectancy noted by Twain [4] and the vivid physical manifestation described by Keller [5], but also to comment on broader dynamics such as societal or political change [6] and even psychological conditions [7, 8]. Whether evoking the immediacy of a dramatic encounter [9] or the quiet, collective breath held in expectation [10, 11], "expectancy" remains a versatile device that deepens the reader’s engagement with both character and context.
- When she thought that he was there at hand, waiting for her, she grew numb with the intoxication of expectancy.
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - There was a settling down, and a prevailing air of expectancy everywhere.
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - Now the air was heavy with the hush of suspense and expectancy.
— from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain - Two days later, toward noon, Sandy began to show signs of excitement and feverish expectancy.
— from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - I notice first a throb of expectancy, a slight quiver, a concentration in my nostrils.
— from The World I Live In by Helen Keller - Just now Clinton was looking with great expectancy into the political future.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - This expectancy is undoubtedly advantageous; its absence may be responsible for serious consequences.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - The first factor is the expectancy of danger which expresses itself in heightened sensory attention and in motor tension.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - THIRD GENTLEMAN Come, let's do so; For every minute is expectancy Of more arrivance.
— from Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare - Whereupon it has rolled back again, amid the hushed expectancy of men.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle - Paris came all crowding, full of expectancy, to the morning, and still more to the evening session.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
