Literary notes about Innumerable (AI summary)
The term “innumerable” is often employed to evoke a sense of boundlessness, emphasizing quantities or qualities so vast they defy precise account. Writers use it to convey both literal and metaphorical abundance – from the subtle, almost imperceptible traits of humble characters [1] to the epic scales of armies, stars, and celestial wonders [2, 3]. It also appears to heighten the dramatic impact of human struggle and natural phenomena, whether in the depiction of countless societal flaws [4] or the endless diversity found in nature and thought [5]. This usage highlights literature’s fascination with the immeasurable aspects of life, where the uncountable becomes a powerful motif in storytelling.
- “I could mention innumerable instances, which, although slight, marked the dispositions of these amiable cottagers.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - To these fires must be added those innumerable stars and the great sun itself.
— from The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 1 (of 6) by the Elder Pliny - So spake the Seraph Abdiel faithful found, Among the faithless, faithful only hee; Among innumerable false, unmov’d, Unshak’n, unseduc’d, unterrifi’d
— from Paradise Lost by John Milton - She certainly had some very ridiculous ways, but I tell you frankly that I feel really sorry for the innumerable woes of which I was the cause.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - It is a law of the widest generality, and every continent offers innumerable instances.
— from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin