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Literary notes about depth (AI summary)

In literature, the term “depth” has been employed with remarkable versatility, shifting between literal and metaphorical meanings. In nautical adventures, for instance, authors like Jules Verne use it to denote profound, measurable expanses of the ocean—ranging from exact fathom measurements to seemingly boundless abysses ([1], [2], [3])—which heightens the sense of exploration and danger. At the same time, thinkers such as Montaigne and Coleridge harness “depth” to evoke the intricate inner workings of the mind or the layers of human emotion, suggesting that personal insight or knowledge often resides in unfathomable recesses ([4], [5]). Beyond these realms, “depth” appears in technical contexts—appearing in descriptions of physical measurements, whether in geological, architectural, or scientific observations ([6], [7])—illustrating how the word bridges tangible dimensions with the abstract qualities of sincerity, passion, and intellectual rigor.
  1. During the night of the 16th and 17th February we had entered the second Mediterranean basin, the greatest depth of which was 1,450 fathoms.
    — from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne
  2. But the Nautilus went lower still—it went to the depth of four hundred fathoms.
    — from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne
  3. The Nautilus sank slowly, and rested on the ice at a depth of 350 yards, the depth at which the lower bank was immersed.
    — from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne
  4. The mind of man falls into as great a depth, and is after the same manner bruised and shattered by his own rashness.
    — from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne
  5. Sir! a man like you cannot talk on any subject without discovering the depth of his information.
    — from Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  6. microcarpa due to the very small dimensions of about 3/8 x 3/8 x 3/4 inches in width, thickness and depth.
    — from Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 44th Annual Meeting
  7. Depth of the foundations in unstable soil.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson

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