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Literary notes about Quavering (AI summary)

The term "quavering" is often used in literary works to evoke a sense of vulnerability, uncertainty, and emotional fragility. It describes voices and sounds that falter, tremble, or waver, thereby enriching character portrayal and setting the mood. For instance, a quavering voice can reveal a character’s fear or hesitance, as when a timid inquiry is made [1] or when a sorrowful, unstable tone underlies an outburst of emotion [2]. Authors also extend its use to capture fluctuating ambient sounds that mirror inner turmoil, further enhancing the narrative’s tension and depth [3, 4]. Such usage underscores the power of the word to convey delicate, almost imperceptible shifts in mood and character.
  1. She went up to the door and, in a quavering voice, asked: "Who's there?"
    — from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
  2. He ended in a quavering sob of pity for himself.
    — from The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane
  3. All at once a thin, high, quavering sound rose just ahead of them.
    — from In the Musgrave Ranges by Conrad H. (Conrad Harvey) Sayce
  4. The thin, quavering sensation of an old voice differs in my touch from the sensation of a young voice.
    — from The World I Live In by Helen Keller

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