Literary notes about Running (AI summary)
The word “running” serves as a versatile device in literature, frequently evoking both literal motion and metaphorical force. It is used to denote rapid physical movement—a character dashing up steps or fleeing danger, as when someone is seen running up a series of stairs [1] or into a room amid panic [2]. Alongside this, the term often conveys emotional urgency and heightened intensity; for instance, a description of blood running cold powerfully encapsulates shock or fear [3]. At times the word stretches beyond mere physicality to illustrate continuous processes or natural flows, such as the soothing, perpetual murmur of a stream that captivates the imagination [4]. Moreover, authors use “running” in contexts that suggest the relentless progress of events, whether in the forward thrust of a narrative or in technical descriptions of systems that operate without interruption [5][6]. This multiplicity of usage enriches the language, enabling writers to link tangible motion with abstract ideas of persistence and transformation.
- "Ecco," said Domenico, lithely running up the last few steps ahead and pushing the door open.
— from The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim - An instant later I heard him running down, and he burst into my consulting-room like a man who is mad with panic.
— from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - His collected and calm manner could not prevent her blood from running cold, as he thus tried to anatomise his old condition.
— from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - It is probable also that the charm which ever accompanies the sound of running water exercised its power over their imagination.
— from Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens - "I must catch Hal and tell him," he kept thinking, and although his breath came in gasps he kept running harder and harder.
— from Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life by Sherwood Anderson - The lots are each fifty feet in width and one hundred and thirty in depth, and front on the street running from King Street to Mr. Jarvis's Park lot.
— from Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding
