Literary notes about Tantalizing (AI summary)
In literature, "tantalizing" is employed as a multi-layered descriptor that combines allure with an element of elusiveness. Writers harness it to evoke a sensory or emotional appeal that is irresistibly inviting, yet perpetually out of complete reach. It conveys a tantalizing glimpse of mystery or beauty—a fleeting vision or a half-formed promise, as seen when a heavy mist both obscures and tempts the viewer [1] or when a question hangs in the balance, waiting for time to reveal its secrets [2]. The term also captures a playful or teasing nature in interpersonal interactions, where a character’s charm or even a subtle smile sparks intrigue and expectation [3, 4]. Beyond physical appeal, "tantalizing" enriches ideas and narratives by imbuing them with a sense of anticipation and unfulfilled desire—from the slow, deliberate process of revelation to the captivating pace of suspense [5, 6]. In this way, the word operates on both tangible and metaphorical levels, artfully engaging the reader’s desire for what is just beyond grasp [7, 8].
- A heavy mist clung to the rank luxuriant foliage, tantalizing from its obscuring all the view.
— from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll - A tantalizing question that only time would answer for them.
— from Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal by Robert Sidney Bowen - “You are so tantalizing,” she said, throwing her tassel at me, “and that reminds me that you promised to complete that unfinished sentence soon.”
— from Sea-gift: A Novel by Edwin W. (Edwin Wiley) Fuller - But he said to her, gently, after looking at her lips, her bare neck, her whole charming, fragrant and tantalizing person: "Thank you, Suzanne....
— from The Frontier by Maurice Leblanc - This consideration made him hopeful, but for all that, he must wait, and waiting he found very tantalizing.
— from The Store Boy by Alger, Horatio, Jr. - However reasonable this was, I raised an outcry against such a tantalizing delay, and begged hard for a shorter period between our intervals.
— from The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel by Anonymous - Which is life and what is death and how shall we face so tantalizing a contradiction?
— from Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. Du Bois - “What she wants most is something you can’t get her,” thought David, looking up with a tantalizing little smile.
— from David DunneA Romance of the Middle West by Belle Kanaris Maniates
