Literary notes about Subtle (AI summary)
In literary works, the term “subtle” is a versatile descriptor that invokes barely perceptible influences, nuanced qualities, and hidden depths. It often characterizes forces that are not overtly forceful yet possess a profound impact, such as the power of a softly suggested human voice [1] or the discreet shift in a character’s demeanor [2]. Authors use it to imply a delicate wisdom or cunning—illustrated by a character’s quiet, artful strategies [3]—as well as to evoke ethereal sensory experiences, like a faint, almost imperceptible aroma or the nuanced allure of nature’s magnetism [4]. The word helps convey that even the gentlest influences, whether mental, spiritual, or perceptual, can set in motion transformative effects [5, 6].
- What a subtle power there is in the suggestion of the human voice!
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - With his subtle smile, Lord Henry watched him.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - He was born in rugged Ithaca, and excels in all manner of stratagems and subtle cunning.
— from The Iliad by Homer - The only difference is that, while both use sight, the child uses his hands and the cat that subtle sense of smell which nature has bestowed upon it.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.
— from Walking by Henry David Thoreau - I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed.
— from The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
