Literary notes about Meant (AI summary)
Across classic literature, the word “meant” often marks the boundary between intention and interpretation, highlighting characters’ motives or the misunderstandings that arise from them. In Dostoyevsky’s work, for instance, characters reveal deliberate aims—“I meant to tell him to his face he was a scoundrel” [1]—and sometimes unintended consequences: “I didn't mean anything; I only meant to say...” [2]. Meanwhile, Edith Wharton underscores the ambiguity of purpose when no one cares “what the Beauforts really meant to do” [3]. Authors also deploy “meant” in broader conceptual contexts, such as Darwin’s precision that “by the term systematic affinity is meant...” [4], indicating a careful definition rather than personal intent. From Dickens’s earnest “He meant Ham” [5] to confusions of “I meant no harm” [6], the term consistently shapes the tension between what is intended and what is ultimately perceived.
- I met Fedosey Nikolaitch once, I meant to tell him to his face he was a scoundrel."
— from White Nights and Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I didn't mean anything; I only meant to say that there must be some good reason for your taking such an interest....
— from Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Every one agreed with her, but no one condescended to enquire what the Beauforts really meant to do.
— from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - By the term systematic affinity is meant, the general resemblance between species in structure and constitution.
— from The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - He meant Ham, who beamed with delight and assent over the bag of shrimps.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - 'I meant no harm, young man,' observed Mr. Bumble, majestically.
— from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
