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Literary notes about Pantomime (AI summary)

In literature, the term "pantomime" serves to convey a range of meanings, from a vivid, wordless theatrical performance to a figurative portrayal of actions and emotions. Authors use it to depict exaggerated, sometimes absurd gestures that communicate feelings or ideas without speech, as when a character conveys horror through an "exaggerated pantomime" ([1]), or when an entire situation is reduced to a silent, symbolic re-enactment ([2]). It also appears as a refined form of expression on stage and in narrative, where the very act of miming becomes a mode of illustration—bridging the gap between visual and verbal language ([3], [4]). Moreover, its metaphorical use enables writers to comment on life’s routines and ironies, imbuing everyday actions with an undercurrent of performance and art.
  1. He started back with a little exaggerated pantomime of horror.
    — from The Fifth Queen: And How She Came to Court by Ford Madox Ford
  2. They turned away hundreds, sold all the books, rolled on the ground of my room knee-deep in checks, and made a perfect pantomime of the whole thing.
    — from The Letters of Charles Dickens Vol. 2, 1857-1870 by Charles Dickens
  3. A small pantomime ensued, curious enough.
    — from Villette by Charlotte Brontë
  4. “Wherever he may be found—” The sentence was completed with an expressive pantomime.
    — from The Reign of Greed by José Rizal

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