Literary notes about Look (AI summary)
In literature, “look” is employed with striking versatility, functioning both as a physical act of seeing and as a vehicle for conveying deeper emotional or symbolic meaning. At times it signals a simple glance that carries a weighty, unspoken message—as in a quick, respectful acknowledgment [1] or a gesture laden with skepticism [2]—while in other contexts it serves as an imperative to pay heed or to prompt action [3], [4]. Authors also use “look” to evoke the inner life of characters, reflecting transformation or regret through a forlorn expression [5], [6], or to underscore a character's readiness to engage with the world, whether by assessing their surroundings [7] or even by searching for lost elements of their past [8]. This multiplicity of usage reveals how a single, common word can encapsulate complex layers of narrative insight in a range of contexts.
- Mr. Wilkins softly led the way down a long hall, opened a door, and after one look fell back and saluted as the Captain's wife passed in.
— from Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott - "Nevertheless you look as if you doubted it, O you of little faith.
— from Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott - "Look here, Mr. Winch," said Mr. Fotheringay, annoyed and confused, "I'm sorry, very.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - Look at what happened in the park last weekend.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - This expression of curiosity gave her face the look of a wooden, roughly-painted doll.
— from Best Russian Short Stories - Her soft eyes never were the same again after that; they had always a restless, craving look, as if seeking for what they could not find.
— from Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - and Mr. Dashwood gave Jo a quick look, which seemed to take note of everything she had on, from the bow in her bonnet to the buttons on her boots.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott - One morning the [ 389 ] younger brother went to look for his mother, who had gone into the woods to gather mushrooms and had not returned.
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal
