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Literary notes about Sweltering (AI summary)

The word "sweltering" is often employed to conjure a palpable sense of heat that not only saturates a scene but can also reflect the inner state of its characters. Writers use it to set richly textured atmospheres—illustrating, for instance, oppressive days that weigh on both the landscape and sentiment, as when the day breaks "with an atmosphere charged with sweltering heat" [1] or when a city is depicted as burdened and nearly unconscious under the burden of heat [2]. It amplifies mood and tension, whether describing the relentless assault of a "sweltering August" [3] or emphasizing the taxing nature of a physical journey amid a "sweltering ride in the dusty train" [4]. Through such usage, "sweltering" transcends mere temperature to evoke a complex interplay of environmental severity and emotional intensity.
  1. The day broke with an atmosphere charged with sweltering heat.
    — from Lachmi Bai, Rani of Jhansi: The Jeanne D'Arc of India by Michael White
  2. Philip was oppressed with the heavy air; the sweltering city lay as in a swoon.
    — from The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
  3. He passed a sweltering August behind his screen in the costumes department, drawing in his shirt sleeves.
    — from Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
  4. He was soon in the main road, and exhilarated by the crisp mountain air, after a sweltering ride in the dusty train.
    — from The Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben

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