Literary notes about delineation (AI summary)
In literature, the term delineation frequently signifies the careful and vivid portrayal of characters, settings, or ideas. It is used to describe not only the physical attributes or contours of a subject but also its inner life and nuanced emotions, as seen when a character is rendered as palpably real rather than an idealized vision [1]. Authors often praise the precision of such representations—whether in a sonnet’s measured description [2] or in the humorous yet insightful sketches of personality and society [3, 4]. At times, delineation is also critiqued for its limitations, suggesting that even the most skillful presentation may not fully capture the complexity of a subject [5, 6]. Overall, the term embodies a commitment to detailed artistry that bridges the concrete and the imaginative in storytelling [7, 8].
- She said to herself, “This is no poet’s dream; it is the delineation of a real individual.
— from Callista : a Tale of the Third Century by John Henry Newman - What delicate -xiii- accuracy of delineation is seen, for instance, in the sonnet ( Dolci durezze )!
— from Fifteen sonnets of Petrarch by Francesco Petrarca - The legitimate object of comedy is the truthful delineation of manners.
— from Paradise Lost by John Milton - "Never, perhaps, was there so comprehensive a talent for the delineation of character as Shakespeare's.
— from The Mystery of Francis Bacon by William T. (William Thomas) Smedley - The delineation of Socrates in the Republic is not wholly consistent.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - Yet there appears to my mind a defect of accomplishment, rather than a deliberate intention, in the delineation of Orsino.
— from Shelley by John Addington Symonds - In my opinion, poetry is the search and the delineation of the ideal.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 2 by Alexis de Tocqueville - To the merits of wealth of imagination, skilful delineation of character, and dramatic power of narration, it is said to add historical accuracy.
— from The Catholic World, Vol. 01, April to September, 1865 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Various
