Literary notes about apparent (AI summary)
In literary works, the term "apparent" is often employed to express the quality of being visibly or superficially evident, yet not necessarily reflecting the underlying truth. For instance, historical narratives use the word to denote corrections or adjustments that are obvious to the reader, as when early misprints or errors become "apparent" through revision [1]. Authors also use it to emphasize the immediacy of perception—highlighting visible yet deceptive aspects, such as mistakes in judgment or even emotional states being "apparent" to onlookers [2], [3]. In descriptive passages, the adjective conveys an almost tangible quality, letting readers see poverty or natural phenomena in vivid relief, as in the portrayal of a dilapidated garret loomed by dire conditions [4] or a massive pit whose volcanic nature is unmistakable [5]. Philosophical and scientific texts extend its meaning to discussions of appearances versus reality, indicating that what is evident is sometimes only a guise for deeper complexities, whether in debates on the nature of profit, moral dispositions, or the very order of the universe [6], [7], [8]. Across both narrative and expository contexts, "apparent" invites a level of skepticism, urging the reader to consider that visible attributes might not mirror intrinsic qualities, a notion that adds a layer of subtle critique or irony to the text [9], [10].
- The following apparent errors have been corrected: p. 12
— from Garden Cities of To-Morrow by Sir Ebenezer Howard - Before the close of this meeting the serious mistake of such action was apparent.
— from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper - It became apparent that she boxed Becky's ears.
— from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett - This house was inhabited by poor people, but the deepest poverty was apparent in the garret lodging in the gable.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - The volcanic nature of this enormous pit was apparent all around us.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - The greater part of the apparent profit is real wages disguised in the garb of profit.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - (a) We have no categories which allow us to distinguish between a real and an apparent world.
— from The Will to Power: An Attempted Transvaluation of All Values. Book III and IV by Nietzsche - There is no principle so apparent in the physics of the Timaeus, or in ancient physics generally, as that of continuity.
— from Timaeus by Plato - The suddenness was probably more apparent than real.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - As we came nearer to the shouting, it became more and more apparent that it was made by more than one voice.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
