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Literary notes about Prodigy (AI summary)

The term “prodigy” in literature is employed in a range of nuanced ways, often connoting both extraordinary talent and remarkable, sometimes ominous, occurrences. It appears to celebrate exceptional beauty and ability, as in the portrayal of a young woman noted for her beauty [1, 2] or of a precocious individual whose capabilities exceed ordinary bounds [3, 4]. At the same time, it is used to describe phenomena of a supernatural or alarming nature, whether as an unusual event in a royal setting [5, 6] or as a portent of deeper forces at work [7, 8]. Moreover, the word finds its place in modern contexts, even as part of brand names that evoke a sense of technological marvel [9, 10, 11, 12]. Thus, literary authors employ “prodigy” both to herald exceptional human or natural phenomena and to underscore events that challenge conventional expectations [13, 14, 15, 16].
  1. He also introduced me to a girl of sixteen, a veritable prodigy of beauty, who served at the bar of a tavern at which we took a bottle of strong beer.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  2. She had likewise a great wish to know Venice, and as no one visited the family she had never been told that she was truly a prodigy of beauty.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  3. He is generally thought a fine young man, but do not expect a prodigy.
    — from Emma by Jane Austen
  4. I hope you will be pleased with my son; but you must not expect a prodigy.
    — from Emma by Jane Austen
  5. 39 At that time, a prodigy occurred in the palace, wonderful both in its appearance and in its result.
    — from The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Livy
  6. Certain it is, it continued a solemn observance, that whenever the same prodigy was announced, a festival for nine days was observed.
    — from The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Livy
  7. Τέρας, ᾰτος, τό, a prodigy, portent, Ac. 2.19; a signal act, wonder, miracle, Jno. 4.48.
    — from A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament by William Greenfield
  8. This also appeared to the vulgar to be a very happy prodigy, as if God did thereby open them the gate of happiness.
    — from The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem by Flavius Josephus
  9. Others (like Prodigy in the U.S.) force clients to use communication software that makes it impossible to store incoming data to disk.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  10. Email (through Internet): postmaster@inetgate.prodigy.com .
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  11. Minitel (in France and the U.S.), Alex (Canada), and Prodigy (U.S.A.) are also in this group.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  12. Prodigy ———- is a North American videotex service owned by IBM and Sears.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  13. “And I,” said Bromley Chitterlings proudly, “am known everywhere as the Pirate Prodigy—the Boy Avenger of the Patagonian coast.”
    — from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte
  14. Verily, a prodigy is this power of praising and blaming.
    — from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
  15. The rise of a city, which swelled into an empire, may deserve, as a singular prodigy, the reflection of a philosophic mind.
    — from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
  16. The slight girlish form of Mushymush with outstretched hands stood between the exasperated Pirate Prodigy and the Boy Chief.
    — from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte

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