Literary notes about Involuntary (AI summary)
Writers deploy the word "involuntary" to evoke a sense of unpremeditated, instinctive response both in the physical and emotional realms. In narrative fiction, it frequently characterizes sudden expressions or gestures that reveal a character’s inner state without conscious intent, as seen when a person’s dark frown is mimicked without volition [1] or when involuntary tears betray unspoken sorrow [2]. Philosophical and scientific treatments also employ the term to distinguish acts that occur naturally from those brought about by deliberate choice, thereby probing themes of free will and the subconscious (cf. [3], [4]). This multifaceted usage enriches character portrayal and reinforces the natural, uncontrollable aspects of human behavior.
- ‘What would he be?’ said Peggotty. ‘Angry,’ I answered, with an involuntary imitation of his dark frown.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - She had grown thin and pale, her eyes filled with involuntary tears, her voice was broken and low.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Enough of actions that are involuntary, or done in anger; let us proceed to voluntary and premeditated actions.
— from Laws by Plato - Voluntary, then, is not opposed to necessary but to involuntary.
— from An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1 by John Locke
