Literary notes about Prospect (AI summary)
The term "prospect" in literature is employed in a variety of ways to evoke both tangible and abstract ideas. In some works, it denotes a pleasing or promising view, as when a family eagerly awaits a festive event [1] or when a character enjoys a scene from a window [2]. In other contexts, the word serves as a metaphor for future possibilities or outcomes—sometimes filled with hope, as in the anticipation of eternal opportunity [3] or lands of opportunity [4], and at other times laced with foreboding, where the future appears uncertain or even grim [5]. Additionally, "prospect" can imply latent potential or a subtle promise that shapes characters' decisions and outlooks, reflecting both optimism and the inherent risks of what lies ahead [6, 7]. This multidimensional use underscores its power to conjure images, set moods, and frame pivotal moments that drive narrative tension and character evolution.
- The prospect of the Netherfield ball was extremely agreeable to every female of the family.
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Elizabeth, after slightly surveying it, went to a window to enjoy its prospect.
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - This gives a great Author something like a Prospect of Eternity, but at the same time deprives him of those other Advantages which Artists meet with.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - “And he will make us dukes and peers,” said Porthos, whose eyes sparkled with joy at this imaginary prospect.
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Added to this was the prospect of the uncertain future.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - If you work hard, you will get there." Enthralled by the prospect, I asked him for further enlightening words.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - I sat down near him, but told him I could not eat. “Is it because you have the prospect of a journey before you, Jane?
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
