Literary notes about Face (AI summary)
The term "face" in literature carries a rich spectrum of meanings, representing not only physical appearance but also the inner emotions and character of individuals. Authors use it, for instance, to evoke innocence or beauty—as in the portrayal of a child's angelic face ([1]) or the inherited, graceful features of a character ([2])—while also highlighting shifts in mood or fortune, such as the loss of dignified expression in moments of despair ([3]) or the striking vividness of a face caught in joy or sorrow ([4], [5]). Moreover, the word serves as a metaphor for identity and confrontation, whether it be meeting someone "face to face" and revealing true character ([6], [7]) or using facial expressions to underscore conflict and transformation ([8], [9]). These varied uses illustrate how "face" becomes a dynamic symbol of both external presentation and internal reality in literature.
- “Yes, but a thief hardly six years old, with a face like an angel's.
— from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser - Her face was like her mother’s; a youthful unfurrowed likeness: the same low brow, the same high features, the same pride.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - All the resolution has gone out of his dear eyes, and that quiet dignity which I told you was in his face has vanished.
— from Dracula by Bram Stoker - A smile of joy and satisfaction lit up her eager face.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - Down went Jo's face into the wet handkerchief, and she cried despairingly; for she had kept up bravely till now, and never shed a tear.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott - Having worshipped these distinguished people afar off, it was a great satisfaction to meet them face to face.
— from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper - It was Medina-saroté who persuaded Nunez to face the blind surgeons.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - Every line of his puckered face reflected the insult he had just received.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Do you know he really believed it, and produced an expression of respect on his face, as much as to say, 'See, what a power we are.'
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
