Literary notes about Stammer (AI summary)
In literature, "stammer" is often employed to illustrate a character’s momentary breakdown in communication during times of intense emotion or internal conflict. It surfaces in instances of shock, anger, and vulnerability—capturing the palpable hesitation when one is overwhelmed, as when a character can barely articulate a response in the midst of fury or surprise ([1], [2]). Authors also use it to inject a sense of realism and irony; a stammer might betray the hidden turmoil beneath a composed exterior or even serve as a subtle critique of social decorum ([3], [4]). Whether rendering a moment of comic relief or underscoring profound personal struggle, the term imbues the narrative with a resonant, human touch that highlights the frailty of language in the face of emotion ([5], [6]).
- Bastien, almost choked with anger and astonishment, at first could do nothing but stammer as he looked furiously at his wife: "You—have—dared—what!
— from The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence by Eugène Sue - He had hardly the strength to stammer:— “But it is not possible!”
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - 'Sixteen,' I replied, with an involuntary stammer.
— from The Torrents of Spring by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev - Seldom have I known any profound being that had anything to say to this world, unless forced to stammer out something by way of getting a living.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - I stammer, with a bow, ‘With you, Miss Larkins.’
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - Though he was slightly hampered by an occasional stammer and his gestures being also clumsy as it was still he did his best to explain.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce
