Literary notes about Paraphrase (AI summary)
The term "paraphrase" in literature has been used with remarkable versatility, functioning both as a method to render complex ideas into clearer language and as a creative reimagining of classic texts. For instance, early spiritual and philosophical texts are paraphrased to make profound doctrines more accessible, as seen in Yogananda’s rendering of Christ’s words ([1]) and in the transformation of Plato’s ideas into more expansive interpretations ([2], [3]). In poetic literature, paraphrase serves as a method to modernize or reinterpret traditional verses, such as in Alexander Pope’s attempt to condense intricate lines ([4]) and in the creative spirit of the Anglo-Saxon tradition ([5]). Additionally, paraphrasing is employed in commentaries and translations, where authors deliberately choose to retain the original spirit while adapting its form—demonstrated in works ranging from Sunzi’s strategic texts ([6], [7], [8]) to Jefferson’s and Addison’s renditions on historical narratives ([9], [10], [11]). This diverse use highlights paraphrase not merely as a tool of simplification but as a bridge between eras, genres, and interpretive traditions.
- "I was dumbfounded that this forest ascetic should not only speak English but also paraphrase the words of Christ.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - The paraphrase which has just been given of it goes beyond the actual words of Plato.
— from The Republic by Plato - The paraphrase which has just been given of it goes beyond the actual words of Plato.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - 176 to want to lack 177 Paraphrase this line in prose.
— from The Rape of the Lock, and Other Poems by Alexander Pope - Then follows the creation of the world, and the Paraphrase begins to thrill with the old Anglo-Saxon love of nature.
— from English Literature by William J. Long - This, as Sun Hsing-yen points out, is only a modest way of saying that he made an explanatory paraphrase, or in other words, wrote a commentary on it.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - Meng Shih gives the closer paraphrase "he who is bent on returning alive," this is, the man who will never take a risk.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - Ts`ao Kung's paraphrase: "The final instructions you give to your army should not correspond with those that have been previously posted up.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - The author produced also five plays, and a volume of Poems and Essays, with a Paraphrase on Cicero's Lælius in Heroic Verse.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - A Paraphrase on the History of Susanna.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - A Paraphrase on the History of Susanna.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele
