Literary notes about attempt (AI summary)
The word "attempt" in literature often functions as a versatile marker of human endeavor, conveying both the spirit of initiative and the possibility of failure. In narratives ranging from acts of personal courage—such as a sudden, even hesitant, effort to act when observed [1]—to the grand, ill-fated maneuvers of war [2], authors use the term to underscore the tension between resolve and outcome. Philosophical and analytical texts further employ "attempt" to frame critical inquiries and to denote efforts to systematize complex ideas, as seen when a writer embarks on a psychological explanation or debates social evolution [3, 4]. In other contexts, the term carries a subtly ironic tone, highlighting futile efforts or moments when actions, no matter how earnest, fall short of their intentions [5].
- I rose to make the attempt, but then he perceived me.
— from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë - Near the end of January, Burnside made a futile attempt to march his army round Lee’s flank by way of Ely’s and Germanna Fords.
— from Paradise Lost by John Milton - I shall now attempt a psychological explanation of revenge.
— from Essays of Schopenhauer by Arthur Schopenhauer - But his attempt to interpret social evolution resulted in a philosophy of history, not a natural science of society.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - In fact he could do nothing but make a wild and futile attempt to dislodge me.
— from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
