Literary notes about Intensify (AI summary)
In literature, the term "intensify" is used to convey an increase in force, emotion, or effect, often serving as a literary mechanism to heighten sensory experiences and dramatic tension. Authors deploy it to amplify natural phenomena and the subtleties of human emotion—making sounds more resonant [1] or transforming a simple gaze into a gesture laden with influence [2]. At times, it deepens the mood or atmosphere, as seen when heat, light, and shadow are described with an added sense of urgency [3, 4], while in other instances it magnifies internal states, such as anger or longing, thereby driving a narrative’s emotional core [5, 6]. Moreover, "intensify" can extend to abstract realms, where it augments ideas or societal conditions, reinforcing the central themes of a work with persuasive clarity [7, 8].
- There was a sound as of the cooing sob of doves, which seemed to multiply and intensify with each second.
— from The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker - and she opened her eyes wide, as though to intensify the influence of her gaze.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - As the sun dips behind the detached mountain spurs in the west the shadows grow slightly blue and the high lights intensify.
— from The Song of the Wolf by Frank Mayer - Suddenly a dismal howl splits the air, and its echoes intensify the gloom.
— from In the Brooding Wild by Ridgwell Cullum - This pacific utterance only served to intensify the anger of Vasili.
— from The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Tolstoy, Leo, graf - His passion for her was one of those which absence and denial intensify.
— from Princess Napraxine, Volume 3 (of 3) by Ouida - Religion, used to intensify the hatred of men toward men under the pretence of pleasing God, has cursed this world.
— from The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12)Dresden Edition—Miscellany by Robert Green Ingersoll - Any unusual excitement of the mind or [pg 651] body is apt to intensify the muscular twitchings.
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