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Literary notes about Repertory (AI summary)

The word "repertory" in literature often conveys the idea of a set or collection of practiced behaviors, gestures, or techniques at a character's disposal. For instance, in Dante's depiction, a contemptuous gesture is described as part of an Italian’s repertory, suggesting a standard set of cultural expressions ([1]). Similarly, Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein refer to a collection of persuasive techniques employed by public speakers, emphasizing the strategic and prepared nature of their acts ([2]). Guy de Maupassant, meanwhile, uses the term to highlight the ordinary and perhaps ridiculous assortment of activities that make up the fabric of everyday life ([3]). These examples illustrate how "repertory" is employed both to denote a measurable set of actions and to evoke the habitual practices that define human behavior.
  1. But in the rage of his wounded pride he must insult even Heaven, and this he does by using the most contemptuous gesture in an Italian’s repertory.
    — from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
  2. This is one of the most effective devices in the public speaker's repertory.
    — from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein
  3. How stupid they are, my dear, these drawing entertainments in the repertory of real life!
    — from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant

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