Literary notes about bore (AI summary)
The word “bore” takes on a remarkable variety of meanings in literary texts. At times, it signifies a physical act of carrying or conveying, as when the sea “bore” a ship to distant lands [1] or a hero “bore” his companion on through adversity [2]. In other contexts, it reflects the bearing of an emotional or metaphorical burden, such as fatigue that “bore” a character into a slumber [3] or the silent marks an object carried as a testament to its history [4]. Additionally, “bore” can denote parentage, signaling the act of bringing forth life [5] or highlighting lineage in genealogical narratives. Even when it suggests tedium—as in a character described as an “insufferable bore” filled with superfluous details—the word enriches the text with layers of meaning that range from the literal to the symbolic [6].
- When the sea bore me up, on the flood tide, on the welling of waves, to the land of the Finns.
— from The Story of Beowulf, Translated from Anglo-Saxon into Modern English Prose - He bore her on in rapid flight, And not a friend appeared in sight.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Fatigue bore so heavily upon Becky that she drowsed off to sleep.
— from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete by Mark Twain - " He turned the letter over and examined the seal, which bore his friend's familiar crest.
— from Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. Braddon - And when Abraham prayed, God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bore children: 20:18.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - As a talker, he is bound to clog his narrative with tiresome details and make himself an insufferable bore.
— from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
