Literary notes about Rustle (AI summary)
The word “rustle” is often used to evoke subtle movement and sound, enriching a scene’s atmosphere with delicate, almost imperceptible noise. It conveys the gentle whisper of nature, as in the quiet sound of leaves swaying in the wind [1, 2, 3], while it can also hint at human presence or hidden actions, such as the quiet swish of a skirt [4, 5, 6] or even the soft stirring of papers that builds suspense [7, 8]. In this way, “rustle” functions as a versatile auditory cue, drawing readers into both the natural world and the intricacies of human interaction.
- Now the reeds take it up—forget, forget, they sigh, and it dies away in a rustle and a whisper.
— from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - The leaves rustle over our head, black against the last gold of the sky.
— from Anthem by Ayn Rand - It was still dark as midnight, and the thick snowflakes were sifting down—everything was so silent that he could hear the rustle of them as they fell.
— from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - There was the gentle rustle of a woman’s dress.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Who’s there?” asked Stepan Arkadyevitch, hearing the rustle of a woman’s dress at the door.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - The rustle of the countess’s silk skirt drew his attention off.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - Then a key clicked in a lock, and I heard the rustle of papers.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Then something snapped, the drawer was opened, and there was a rustle of papers.
— from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells
