Literary notes about Since (AI summary)
The word "since" in literature demonstrates remarkable versatility, functioning variously as a temporal marker, causal connector, and even a preposition. Authors like José Rizal use it to reference time by linking current states to past conditions—as when a character remarks, “since you hadn’t any before” ([1])—while others, such as Henry Fielding, rely on it to justify arguments: “since he confirmed it with many violent oaths” ([2]). At times, “since” signals elapsed time or duration, as seen in Dickens’s and Lewis’s works ([3], [4]), and in contexts that blend both time and causality; for instance, Thoreau enhances a scene’s imagery “since he enhanced the beauty of the landscape” ([5]). This multiplicity in usage showcases how literature employs “since” to provide clarity, set the stage for events, and explain motivations.
- “Come, only one mark,” he said, “since you hadn’t any before.”
— from The Reign of Greed by José Rizal - Most likely indeed it is, that he founded his opinion on very good authority, since he confirmed it with many violent oaths.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - I have never been quit of you since I first saw you.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - since noon.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - Whichever way we turned, it seemed that the heavens and the earth had met together, since he enhanced the beauty of the landscape.
— from Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
