Literary notes about Prompted (AI summary)
In literature, the word "prompted" functions as a bridge linking internal impulses or external circumstances with ensuing actions. It often reveals the underlying motive behind a character’s decision—whether it is the sudden, instinctive drive to feign sleep [1] or a burst of inspiration that leads to a critical remark [2]. Authors use it to suggest that actions are not random but rather the outcome of internal feelings or situational pressures; a heartfelt emotion may prompt sincere utterances [3], while an unfolding state of affairs might necessitate an immediate response [4]. In other works, the term deepens our understanding of how both noble and less admirable actions are set into motion by inner convictions or external needs [5], further illustrating its role as a literary device that connects cause with effect in the narrative [6].
- Why, I know not, but I was instinctively prompted to feign sleep.
— from The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel by Anonymous - “Perhaps,” said Colin, prompted by a sudden inspiration, “perhaps it is an unnatural appetite.”
— from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - My own remarks were of the same tenor as those of my comrades, and I know that the feelings that prompted them were heartfelt and sincere.
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain - I appreciated the force of this dispatch later when I witnessed the condition of affairs which prompted it.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant - This might be the case, for instance, with an act of heroic courage, prompted by an impulse of sympathy with a fellow-creature in sudden peril.
— from The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick - I was prompted by curiosity to seize the opportunity of conversation with him.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
