Literary notes about curve (AI summary)
The word “curve” in literature is employed in a rich, multifaceted manner that transcends its literal meaning. It often describes the physical bending of a road or natural form, evoking images of hidden corners or graceful paths that shape both landscape and narrative flow ([1], [2], [3], [4]). At the same time, it is used in technical and mathematical contexts to denote precise geometric forms—a concrete concept that provides a stark contrast to more abstract, metaphorical uses, where a curve can signify the nuanced trajectory of thought or emotion ([5], [6], [7]). Moreover, authors sometimes imbue characters or scenes with symbolic curvature, using the term to suggest both fluidity and tension in human relationships and experiences ([8], [9], [10]). Thus, “curve” emerges as a versatile literary device that bridges visual artistry, scientific precision, and the subtleties of human life.
- He had turned also, and still kept his distance until the curve of the road hid them from my sight.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - He turned and watched the mass of guns, men, and horses sweeping in a wide curve toward a gap in a fence.
— from The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane - Immediately behind the two rocks, there stretches the beach of Sarubwoyna, its clean, white sand edging the shallow curve of a small bay.
— from Argonauts of the Western Pacific by Bronislaw Malinowski - I missed my way among the streets, and presently saw down a long avenue, in the half-light of the early dawn, the curve of Primrose Hill.
— from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - A curve in general cuts its osculating plane.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - To construct the intersection of two oblique cones, and the tangents to that curve.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - By a simple calculation any desired curve could be laid out in this way.
— from The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio - He laid her card and letter on the twill bedspread near the curve of her knees.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - And so it gave us a shock when we turned a curve and came upon Nikolaus face to face.
— from The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories by Mark Twain - The curve of the lead which sustained him inclined more and more each instant towards the abyss.
— from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
