Literary notes about ambient (AI summary)
The term "ambient" is used in literature to evoke the ever-present surrounding atmosphere that plays both a literal and a symbolic role. Authors often employ it to describe the physical environment—such as the air influencing evaporation [1], the gentle glow that illuminates a quiet pasture [2], or the pervasive light that transforms a landscape [3, 4]—thereby creating mood and setting. In other contexts, "ambient" extends beyond its meteorological meaning to suggest the broader milieu in which characters exist, blurring the line between their inner lives and the external world. This is evident when the environment itself seems charged with emotion, from an oppressive, almost tangible hostility [5] to a soft, cloud-like embrace that lifts the spirit [6, 7]. Moreover, the deliberate use of "ambient" as part of characters’ names, such as Mark Ambient or Mrs. Ambient [8, 9, 10], adds an ironic or symbolic layer, suggesting that they are deeply intertwined with the influential, omnipresent environment that shapes their experiences.
- The drier the ambient air is, the more rapidly will the evaporation go on; and the cold produced will be greater.
— from A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments Explanatory of Their Scientific Principles, Method of Construction, and Practical Utility by Enrico Angelo Lodovico Negretti - " She had crossed the threshold and stood now in the ambient glow, gazing across the quiet pasture, where a stray sheep bleated.
— from The Voice of the People by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow - "With darkness circled, and an ambient cloud.
— from Ups and Downs in the Life of a Distressed Gentleman by William L. (William Leete) Stone - The everlasting mountains there Reflect undying light; The ray which gilds that ambient air, Nor fades, nor sets in night.
— from The Genius of Scotland; or, Sketches of Scottish Scenery, Literature and Religion by Robert Turnbull - And yet Christophe was sometimes embarrassed by this ambient hostility.
— from Jean-Christophe Journey's End by Romain Rolland - An unutterably pure and lofty joy filled my soul, and I felt, as if we were out of the body floating on ambient clouds.
— from Homo Sum — Volume 02 by Georg Ebers - Then I bounded across the fields; my spirit often seemed to ride upon the winds, and to mingle in joyful sympathy with the ambient air.
— from Mathilda by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - I have seen people who were grave and gay in quick alternation; but Mark Ambient was grave and gay at one and the same moment.
— from The Author of Beltraffio by Henry James - But Mrs. Ambient quickly recovered herself, and said to me civilly enough that she hoped I did n’t mind having had to walk from the station.
— from The Author of Beltraffio by Henry James - “Put him down, Mark, he’s not comfortable,” Mrs. Ambient said.
— from The Author of Beltraffio by Henry James
