Literary notes about MAGNETIC (AI summary)
The term "magnetic" is employed with multifaceted symbolism across literary works, functioning both as a descriptor of physical phenomena and as a metaphor for charisma and transformative power. In scientific discourses, it denotes literal magnetic forces—such as the magnetic needle tracking celestial activity [1] or the magnetic lines that define invisible fields [2]—while also alluding to precise experimental conditions in technical treatises [3, 4]. In the realm of the personal and the poetic, the word conveys an alluring, almost hypnotic quality, suggesting an irresistibly attractive personality or subtle, transformative influence, as seen when a magnetic touch awakens long-forgotten memories [5] or a magnetic gaze commands attention [6]. Moreover, "magnetic" emerges in contexts that evoke both the literal and the figurative, from the oddly enchanting compass needles drawing ships toward unknown destinies [7] to personalities endowed with a magnetic charm that captivates their surroundings [8, 9].
- Magnetic needle tells you what’s going on in the sun, the stars.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - These are called lines of magnetic force .
— from How it Works by Archibald Williams - Hitherto we have considered the magnetic field produced by one bi-polar magnet only.
— from How it Works by Archibald Williams - It is to this conduct on the part of a magnetic needle when in a "magnetic field" that we owe the existence of the needle telegraph instrument.
— from How it Works by Archibald Williams - At his magnetic touch, a wondrous current swept through my brain, releasing the sweet seed-memories of my previous life.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - He turned his magnetic glance, like a ray of vivid light, on Mlle.
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac - Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all those ships attract them thither? Once more.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - Sweet Anna has an air—a grace, Divine, magnetic, touching: She talks, she charms—but who can trace
— from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns - We are unconsciously influenced by people who possess this magnetic power.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden
