Literary notes about char (AI summary)
In literature the term "char" manifests a remarkable versatility in function and tone. It appears as a personal name or address—as in "Char-les Thompson" [1] or when used exclamatorily [2]—while simultaneously taking on the role of an occupational label, depicted in characters like the char‑woman in Edith Wharton’s narrations [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Authors also exploit the term in descriptive passages; for instance, "char-à-banc" refers to a specific type of carriage in Tolstoy’s works [8, 9, 10, 11, 12], and "char" functions as a verb meaning to burn or scorch in technical or poetic contexts [13, 14, 15]. Moreover, its phonetic quality is harnessed for rhythmic effect in narrative recalls [16] and even as a shorthand for "character" [17]. This plethora of uses underscores the layered, dynamic nature of "char" across literary genres.
- “Char-les Thompson, come with me,” he said, presently, and marched his captive to the hotel.
— from Mrs. Skagg's Husbands and Other Stories by Bret Harte - "Is that Dr. Prince?" came a voice that made Char exclaim: "It's John Trevellyan!"
— from The War-Workers by E. M. Delafield - There was no one in sight, however, but a char-woman who was scrubbing the stairs.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - Lily looked at the char-woman in surprise.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - Half way down the next flight, she smiled to think that a char-woman's stare should so perturb her.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - The char-woman, after the manner of her kind, stood with her arms folded in her shawl.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - Lily stood motionless, keeping between herself and the char-woman the greatest distance compatible with the need of speaking in low tones.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - They were Vronsky with a jockey, Veslovsky and Anna on horseback, and Princess Varvara and Sviazhsky in the char-à-banc .
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - “That’s Princess Varvara,” Anna said in reply to a glance of inquiry from Dolly as the char-à-banc drove up.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - he said, pointing to four persons on horseback, and two in a char-à-banc , coming along the road.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - As the innkeeper had been unable to find a tilbury in the city, his guests were obliged to be content with a yellow char-à-bancs with two seats.
— from Sister Anne (Novels of Paul de Kock, Volume X) by Paul de Kock - A whole char-à-banc -ful of people turned and stared at us in unison after the manner of people in chars-à-banc .
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - As friction with the earth’s atmosphere caused the heat shield to char and vaporize, the heat was carried away from the spacecraft.
— from Rockets, Missiles, and Spacecraft of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution - “But your complexion might char; move your chair a little forward.”
— from Other Things Being Equal by Emma Wolf - And these few precepts in thy memory— Look thou charácter.
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare - their note is loud and frequently repeated both flying and when at rest and is char ah', char'ah, char ah', as nearly as letters can express it.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - The gregarious mind shows certain characteristics which throw some light on this phenomenon of the progressively enlarging unit.
— from Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War by W. (Wilfred) Trotter
