Literary notes about Intention (AI summary)
The word "intention" in literature is often employed to reveal a character's purposeful mindset, whether it denotes a firm resolution or a subtle, underlying motive. It serves both as a declaration of what one plans to do—as when a character asserts an unchangeable opinion or purpose [1, 2]—and as a means of interpreting behavior in contexts ranging from personal relationships to state affairs [3, 4]. Sometimes intention not only explains actions but also hints at hidden drives or ethical considerations, as shown when narrators use it to highlight unforeseen consequences that alter the course of events [5, 6]. In this way, "intention" deepens understanding of character and plot, offering readers insights into both overt decisions and the more complex, sometimes ambiguous, impulses that propel the narrative.
- I came with my mind made up as to what I had to say to you, and I shall not change my intention, although you may misunderstand me.
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - At noon the Duchess, rolling out of her saddle upon the ground, declared her intention of going no farther, and the party halted.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - Whatever Clara's intention had been in asking to be brought hither, it was balked by the presence of the soldiers.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - In such a case, there is no doubt about the general will, and it is clear that the people's first intention is that the State shall not perish.
— from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - His intention had been to be absent a year at the most, but a combination of unforeseen circumstances prevented his leaving the mines for nearly five.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - It is not our intention to deny the noble strivings of human nature, nor have we ever done anything to deprecate their value.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
