Literary notes about Levant (AI summary)
The term "levant" appears in literature in two distinct ways. In many historical and travel narratives, it designates a vast region of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East associated with cultural exchange and commerce—as in references to the "empire of the Tartar Lord of the Levant" [1] or trade connections with that area [2][3]. Meanwhile, in Spanish literature, variations of the word function as the verb "levantarse," meaning to rise or get up, typically used in dramatic or humorous character movements [4][5][6]. Authors such as Swift and Joyce evoke "the Levant" as a geographical signifier denoting both exotic locales and historical significance [7][8], illustrating the term’s rich versatility in literary contexts.
- Here, you should be told, is the end of the empire of the Tartar Lord of the Levant.
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano - When the Venetian manufacture was first established, the materials were all brought from Sicily and the Levant.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - I think it best to preserve the terms Levant and Ponent when used in this way.
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano - —¡Señora!—gritó Caballuco levantándose.—¿Eso es broma o qué es?
— from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós - Doña Perfecta se levantó indignada, majestuosa, terrible.
— from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós - Arrojando el cubierto con que comía, se levantó de súbito.
— from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós - [3] Levant : the point where the sun rises.
— from Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Regions of the World by Jonathan Swift - Coming all that way: Spain, Gibraltar, Mediterranean, the Levant.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce
