Literary notes about WHO (AI summary)
In literature, the word "who" serves both as a relative pronoun and as an interrogative tool, making it an essential element in constructing nuanced descriptions and dynamic dialogue. Authors often use "who" to introduce additional information about a character—linking identity to action or emphasizing inherent traits, as in examples [1] and [2], where it enriches mythic and grand portrayals. It also appears in interrogative contexts to heighten suspense or direct attention, evident in the concise query "Who's that?" [3] or rhetorical challenges like those in [4]. Moreover, "who" can frame complex relationships by connecting clauses and contrasting individuals, as seen in [5] and [6]. This versatility—from the detailed narrative of Walter Scott [7] to the reflective inquiries in George Eliot [8]—demonstrates how integral "who" is in bridging ideas and deepening character portrayal across a spectrum of literary styles and genres.
- “There was Frey, and sat On the gold-bristled boar, who first, they say, Plowed the brown earth, and made it green for Frey.”
— from Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas by H. A. Guerber - But Aillén mac Midhna is undoubtedly one of the mighty ‘gentry’ who could—as we heard from County Sligo—destroy half the human race if they wished.
— from The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans-Wentz - Who's that?
— from Life Is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca - How dare you say who was her father, or who wasn't!"
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - The man who would emancipate art from discipline and reason is trying to elude rationality, not merely in art, but in all existence.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - Who is a God like to thee, who takest away iniquity, and passest by the sin of the remnant of thy inheritance?
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Who ever recked, etc.
— from The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott - " "Why?" said Lydgate, who was much given to use that inconvenient word in a curt tone.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot
