Literary notes about Venerable (AI summary)
"Venerable" is often used in literature to evoke a sense of deep respect and timelessness, whether describing a character, institution, or even an abstract quality. It frequently appears when discussing figures of authority and wisdom, for instance when a priest or an elder is addressed with this honorific to highlight a storied past or moral rectitude [1], [2], [3]. The term also breathes life into descriptions of ancient buildings and monuments, where words like "venerable edifice" summon images of history and reverence [4], [5], [6]. In some works, however, its use carries a touch of irony, as in the observation that even age-old virtues can be stubbornly outdated [7]. This multifaceted employment of "venerable" underscores its power to denote both honor and the weight of tradition across various genres and subjects [8], [9].
- Now, venerable priest, further into the light, and hold the Holy Book before me that I may touch it.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - I see him now, excellent and venerable old man!
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - I went to the second advocate, whom I found to be a man venerable not only in years but in wisdom.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - The plan and present aspect of this venerable edifice are shown in Figs.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - It was situated near the magnificent and venerable ruins of the old railway station, which formed an imposing feature from the gardens of the house.
— from Erewhon; Or, Over the Range by Samuel Butler - Within the space, an olive tree had stood, A sacred shade, a venerable wood, For vows to Faunus paid, the Latins’ guardian god.
— from The Aeneid by Virgil - Under certain circumstances, virtue is merely a venerable form of stupidity: who could blame you for it?
— from The Will to Power: An Attempted Transvaluation of All Values. Book I and II by Nietzsche - The loose and obscure tradition has been preserved by the venerable Bede, who scattered some rays of light over the darkness of the eighth century.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - The doge of Venice, the venerable Dandolo, in the fulness of years and glory, sunk into the grave.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
