Literary notes about Manipulate (AI summary)
In literature, the word manipulate functions as a versatile term that bridges the concrete and the abstract. Authors use it to describe the physical handling of objects—for instance, manipulating instruments or combinations [1, 2] and even delicate materials like light, fragile matter [3]—while also portraying the artful control of events, emotions, or people. It is employed to indicate both the exacting adjustment of tangible mechanisms, such as gears or levers [4, 5], and the more subtle maneuvering of social dynamics or historical narratives [6, 7, 8]. This duality underscores the word’s rich capacity to evoke both manual skill and abstract influence within diverse narrative landscapes.
- Writing to Faraday, he said: "Oersted was a man of genious, but very unsuccessful as a demonstrator, for he could not manipulate instruments."
— from Makers of Electricity by Brother Potamian - Without another word she went swiftly to the concealed safe and began to manipulate the lock.
— from The Secret of the Silver CarFurther Adventures of Anthony Trent, Master Criminal by Wyndham Martyn - His lyric gifts were considerable; he could manipulate his light and fragile material with extraordinary skill.
— from A History of French LiteratureShort Histories of the Literatures of the World: II. by Edward Dowden - 8.—It should possess sufficient strength to prevent any chance of its collapsing at the greatest depth to which it may be required to manipulate it.
— from Torpedoes and Torpedo Warfare Containing a Complete and Concise Account of the Rise and Progress of Submarine Warfare by Charles William Sleeman - Tact will manipulate one talent so as to get more out of it in a lifetime than ten talents will accomplish without it.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - They both knew the truth well, but they had to manipulate the dates so as to make it appear that Hastings was executed on the 13th.
— from Richard III: His Life & Character, Reviewed in the Light of Recent Research by Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir - "Oh, if you only knew the gladness in being able to read the hearts of man and manipulate them with the strings of their own dominant passions."
— from Balsamo, the Magician; or, The Memoirs of a Physician by Alexandre Dumas - A clever woman might so manipulate circumstances as to convince him she held his fate in her hands.
— from Molly McDonaldA Tale of the Old Frontier by Randall Parrish
