Literary notes about WATCH (AI summary)
The term "watch" in literature spans a range of meanings—from the literal act of keeping vigil to a marker of time and responsibility. In some works, "watch" signifies a guardian’s duty or the vigilance required to protect or monitor, as when characters keep a lookout in times of danger or during quiet moments of duty ([1], [2], [3]). At other times, it designates an object, a timepiece that not only measures hours but also anchors characters to the passing of time and the rhythms of life ([4], [5], [6]). Moreover, authors also imbue the word with a broader, almost metaphysical significance, where to "watch" becomes a way of engaging with the world—whether by observing a loved one, scrutinizing nature, or even symbolizing inevitable justice in the cosmos ([7], [8], [9]). This polysemy enriches literary narratives by intertwining themes of care, vigilance, and the inexorable march of time.
- So we kept our watch together in silence.
— from The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - At the dead of night, about the second watch, he started from his bed, and commanded the instant attendance of his prime vizier.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - Especially the man at the helm, who stands watch all night long and observes even the motions of the stars.
— from The Satyricon — Complete by Petronius Arbiter - I drew out my watch and showed him the time.
— from A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov - “It wants but a few minutes of the hour,” he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - "Basil was very popular, and always wore a Waterbury watch.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - This is that ancient doctrine of Nemesis, [120] who keeps watch in the universe, and lets no offense go unchastised.
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - I thought I would watch for the Count’s return, and for a long time sat doggedly at the window.
— from Dracula by Bram Stoker - Watch ye: and pray that you enter not into temptation.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
