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Literary notes about construe (AI summary)

In literature, the term "construe" is employed to denote the act of interpretation, often highlighting the ambiguity or multiplicity of meaning in language and action. It can describe the process of deciphering intent, as when characters ponder whether their words or deeds have been understood correctly ([1], [2]), or the deliberate decoding of texts and signals, whether ancient scriptures or legal documents ([3], [4]). At times, authors use "construe" to reveal personal subjectivity in understanding, where individual perception shapes the reception of gestures, silence, or even silence’s implications ([5], [6]). This usage, by inviting the reader to respect the nuances and potential diversity of meanings, enriches the textual dialogue between the author, the characters, and the audience ([7], [8]).
  1. Your conscience will tell you, sir, whether I construe it well or not.’
    — from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
  2. “You have full liberty to construe it as you please.”
    — from Captain Paul by Alexandre Dumas
  3. He is likewise able to construe any part of the Greek Testament.
    — from The History of Dartmouth College by Baxter Perry Smith
  4. Sir, those who are to execute the laws have no more a license to construe them for themselves, than those whose only duty is to obey them.
    — from The Great Speeches and Orations of Daniel Webster With an Essay on Daniel Webster as a Master of English Style by Edwin Percy Whipple
  5. It was his practice to let his actions speak for themselves, and to let the world construe them as they pleased.
    — from Memoirs of Aaron Burr, Complete by Aaron Burr
  6. Upon these principles, what had I to do but to construe her silence into contemptuous displeasure?
    — from Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 3 by Samuel Richardson
  7. All my engagements I will construe to thee, All the charactery of my sad brows.
    — from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
  8. Construe my speeches better, if you may.
    — from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

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