Literary notes about Shape (AI summary)
Writers employ the term "shape" in a variety of senses that range from the concrete to the abstract. In many works, it denotes the literal form or outline of an object—a hall's irregular shape [1], a jewel's perfect shape [2], or the conical shape of an engine part [3]—while in others it is used metaphorically to imply transformation or character. For instance, characters are said to "assume" or have a certain shape to reflect their identity or destiny, as when motives are shaped into conformity [4] or when a sorrowful or monstrous figure takes on a fearful shape [5, 6]. At times, the word also conveys the idea of an ideal or customary form, whether in the realm of human appearance [7, 8] or in abstract constructs such as political arrangements and destiny [9, 10]. Thus, the versatile use of "shape" enriches descriptions by merging physical dimensions with deeper symbolic meaning.
- Chapter XII In a hall of irregular shape sat Pete and Maggie drinking beer.
— from Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane - Its globular shape, perfect clearness, and admirable lustre made it altogether a jewel of inestimable value.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne - The engine shaft has on its rear end the fly-wheel, which has a broad and heavy rim, turned to a conical shape inside.
— from How it Works by Archibald Williams - Before changing his course, he always needed to shape his motives and bring them into accordance with his habitual standard.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - The shape of some monstrous villainy, half seen, half guessed, loomed through the darkness which had girt me so long.
— from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - In this monstrous shape of a creature half-man, half-lion, Vishṇu delivered the earth from the tyranny of an insolent demon called Hiraṇyakaśipu.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - she has assumed her shape and looks extreemly well.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - The shape of the letters on my father's, gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - To such monstrous shape has the original mistake of the Constitution grown in the evolution of our politics.
— from The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams - Therefore to guard our thoughts and control our feelings is to shape our destinies.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein
