Literary notes about devoid (AI summary)
The term "devoid" is frequently used by writers to underscore the absence of an expected quality, lending their prose a precise and sometimes critical edge. It often appears to stress that a subject—whether it’s a character, landscape, or institution—lacks what is inherently anticipated. In some texts, it accentuates a deficiency in reason or sentiment, as when beasts are depicted as devoid of rationality [1], or when a hero’s demeanor is noted as devoid of fear [2]. In other cases, it highlights literal emptiness, such as a room utterly devoid of furniture [3] or a country landscape devoid of verdure [4]. This deliberate choice conveys a profound absence that enriches the reader’s understanding of character, setting, or even societal structures.
- Who shall, after this, declare That beasts devoid of reason are?
— from The Fables of La Fontaine by Jean de La Fontaine - Villefort watched him with alarm not devoid of admiration.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - This great nobleman, who died soon after, lodged me in a splendid room utterly devoid of furniture.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - As we passed Cairo the snow was falling, and the country was wintery and devoid of verdure.
— from Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete by William T. Sherman
