Literary notes about Offshoot (AI summary)
The term "offshoot" in literature has been employed in diverse ways to convey both metaphoric and literal notions of divergence. In Hawthorne's work [1], it evokes the image of an impassioned, unpremeditated byproduct born from intense emotion—a sudden burst of inner fire. Hardy [2] repurposes the word to describe a character emerging from a historical or theological lineage, subtly highlighting a generational divergence marked by differing moral qualities. Meanwhile, in Mouhot’s account [3], "offshoot" takes on a more concrete meaning, illustrating a group’s origin from a primary tradition as it adapts to new cultural and geographical settings. Similarly, Craig [4] uses the term to denote a faction that has emerged following a schism, illustrating how an offshoot can signify both a physical and ideological split from an established order.
- There was fire in her and throughout her: she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment.
— from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Felix, though an offshoot from a far more recent point in the devolution of theology than his father, was less self-sacrificing and disinterested.
— from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy - Are they an offshoot of Judaism thrown on to these shores?
— from Travels in the Central Parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos (Vol. 1 of 2) by Henri Mouhot - Owing to a schism a rival arose against the old Masonry and finally the original organization succumbed to the offshoot.
— from Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal, Philippine Patriot by Austin Craig
