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Literary notes about changing (AI summary)

Across literature, the word "changing" functions as a versatile marker of transformation—whether in behavior, scenery, or emotional state. In some works it highlights moral or personal evolution, as seen when Equiano advises that treating slaves as men could banish fear through a simple change in conduct [1], or when Goethe reflects on his ever-shifting sensations [2]. In epic verse and descriptive passages, "changing" vividly conveys the ephemeral beauty of nature and art, as in Valmiki’s portrayal of gem-like arches that shed an ever-changing lustre [3] or in Lawrence’s depiction of a shifting sky [4]. It also marks narrative shifts, whether in physical direction—as when Dana describes vessels altering their courses [5]—or in tone and subject, such as Ibsen’s sudden changes in dialogue [6, 7] and Tolstoy’s shifting portrayals of character and circumstance [8, 9]. Thus, across genres and eras, "changing" encapsulates the fluidity of life, underscoring that transformation is a constant undercurrent in both the external world and the inner lives of characters.
  1. But by changing your conduct, and treating your slaves as men, every cause of fear would be banished.
    — from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African by Equiano
  2. My sensations are constantly changing.
    — from The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  3. [pg 401] There jewelled arches high o'erhead An ever-changing lustre shed From ruby, pearl, and every gem On golden pillars under them.
    — from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki
  4. If she were wandering there, on that hill-slope under a silvery, changing sky, in which many rooks melted like hurrying showers of blots!
    — from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
  5. The vessel continued in pursuit, changing her course as we changed ours, to keep before the wind.
    — from Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana
  6. [Suddenly changing her tone.]
    — from Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
  7. [Changing the subject.]
    — from Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
  8. And when will all this end?” thought Rostóv, looking at the changing shadows before him.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
  9. Why do you come in without being called?” cried Nicholas, quickly changing his attitude.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy

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