Literary notes about Received (AI summary)
In literature, "received" functions as a versatile term that can denote both literal transactions and deeper symbolic exchanges. In some texts it marks the simple act of obtaining communication, as when letters are physically received ([1], [2], [3]), while in others it underscores more complex emotional or societal interactions. For instance, Suetonius’s account reveals how unfavorable news received can spur cruel actions ([4]), whereas Jane Austen uses the term to hint at the subtleties of social distance and dismissal ([5]). Moreover, "received" often conveys acceptance or recognition in formal or ceremonial contexts—be it the reception of sacred rites ([6]), the conferring of titles and honors ([7], [8]), or even the absorption of abstract ideas and influences in philosophical works ([9], [10]). Through these varied applications, the word "received" enriches the narrative, painting a broader picture of how individuals and institutions interact with messages, gifts, and even fate.
- I have just received your letter of April 19th.
— from Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 by Emperor of the French Napoleon I - Yours of November 27th received, from which I see that your little head is quite turned.
— from Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 by Emperor of the French Napoleon I - I have just received yours of April 15th.
— from Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796-1812 by Emperor of the French Napoleon I - Exasperated by information he received respecting the death of his son Drusus, he carried his cruelty still farther.
— from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius - "You had better leave me," was all the notice that her sister received from her.
— from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - On the 16th, she received the Last Sacraments.
— from Juliette Drouet's Love-Letters to Victor Hugo by Juliette Drouet and Louis Guimbaud - Sir Thomas Thornton, G.C.B., received a Royal Licence to accept the Portuguese title of Conde de Cassilhas and an augmentation.
— from A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies - King Harald now proceeded out of Throndhjem fjord to Austrat, where he was well received.
— from Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway by Snorri Sturluson - In this I gave them lessons for a few months, by which means my decreasing purse received some little aid.
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Let any one try to account for this operation of the mind upon any of the received systems of philosophy, and he will be sensible of the difficulty.
— from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume