Literary notes about constant (AI summary)
In literature, "constant" is deployed to evoke a sense of unchanging continuity or enduring presence across a range of contexts. It can describe a persistent state of mind, like the unyielding fear or irritation that haunts a character’s thoughts [1, 2], as well as a repeated or habitual aspect of behavior or circumstance, such as the constant practice of daily sacrifice or the never-changing weather conditions that shape a journey [3, 4]. Authors also use the term metaphorically, emphasizing steadfast virtues and dispositions, whether it is in reference to a character’s invariable association with the best in life [5] or the lasting accumulation of facts and ideas since the dawn of history [6]. This versatile adjective thus links the physical and the abstract, underscoring both tangible and emotional rhythms that resonate throughout narrative and philosophical discourse.
- A constant thought and terror is haunting her.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - The noises had stopped, but I was in constant fear of their renewal.
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc - The decks were covered with snow, and there was a constant driving of sleet.
— from Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana - He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months.
— from The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem by Flavius Josephus - Her knowledge of the world, her constant association with only the best, must make her quite unerring.
— from The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim - It presently learns that since the dawn of history there has been a constant accumulation and classifying of facts.
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson
