Literary notes about bite (AI summary)
The word “bite” is employed in literature with remarkable versatility, functioning both as a literal act and as a potent metaphor. It can vividly describe a physical sensation, such as the tearing bite of an animal [1], the hunger-induced bite of deprivation [2], or even the simple enjoyment of food [3]. At the same time, it captures abstract experiences—illustrating the sting of criticism or betrayal [4], the subtle defiance in a gesture [5], or the simmering tension in political and personal conflicts [6]. By oscillating between tangible and figurative uses, “bite” enriches narratives, lending both dynamic imagery and symbolic depth to a wide range of literary works [7, 8].
- There was a tearing bite at his arm, and he struck over it at the face, as he judged, and hit damp fur.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - Famine came again, and the cub with clearer consciousness knew once more the bite of hunger.
— from White Fang by Jack London - I peeled back more foil and took a big bite.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - But the trouble is these lieutenants who bite; sometimes you put your foot in it.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir.
— from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare - All three of them are desperate: their great guilt, 105 Like poison given to work a great time after, Now ’gins to bite the spirits.
— from The Tempest by William Shakespeare - If I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking: in the meantime, let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me.
— from Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare - We bite no one, and go out of the way of him who would bite; and in all matters we have the opinion that is given us.”
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
