Literary notes about Secondary (AI summary)
In literature, "secondary" is employed to signal elements that are supporting or derivative relative to a primary focus. It can designate a less central meaning or role, as when a word’s original connotation is given an additional, subtler nuance—for example, a linguistic twist echoing a clever secondary sense [1]. The term also surfaces in narrative structures, marking a plotline that runs alongside and enriches the main storyline [2], or indicating relationships and effects that, while not fundamental, help shape broader systems, such as the contrast between primary and secondary contacts in social theory [3]. Beyond fiction, discussions of natural phenomena and abstract ideas similarly distinguish between primary causes and their secondary consequences, thereby acknowledging layers of complexity in interpretation and function [4, 5].
- There is perhaps also a reminiscence of the secondary meaning of Lat. nasutus , 'witty,' 'clever.'
— from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós - And they are particularly noticeable in the secondary plot.
— from Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth by A. C. Bradley - In what way is capitalism associated with the growth of secondary contacts?
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - So that in all probability a far longer period than 300 million years has elapsed since the latter part of the Secondary period.
— from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - The rule applies very strongly in the case of secondary sexual characters, when displayed in any unusual manner.
— from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin
