Literary notes about dialogue (AI summary)
Throughout literary history the term “dialogue” has evolved to encompass a wide variety of forms and functions. In ancient texts, dialogue often appears as a venerable mode of transmitting sacred, philosophical, or political ideas—as seen in the Rigveda’s hymn featuring a conversation between a woman and her earthly spouse ([1]), and in numerous Platonic works where dialogue serves as a method for exploring complex ideas ([2], [3], [4]). Over time, writers appropriated the form for dramatic and narrative effect. For instance, in novels by Thomas Hardy and Fielding, dialogue becomes a vehicle for both emotional depth and social commentary, modeling realistic exchanges that propel the narrative ([5], [6], [7], [8], [9]). In addition, authors like Byron and Wilde have used dialogue to weave satire and philosophical debate into their works, demonstrating its flexibility from introspective moral lessons to lively repartee ([10], [11]). Thus, whether as a structured philosophical inquiry or a dynamic exchange between characters, dialogue remains a central literary device that mirrors the evolving nature of human communication.
- A dialogue between her and her earthly spouse, Purūravas, is contained in a somewhat obscure hymn of the Rigveda (x. 95).
— from A History of Sanskrit Literature by Arthur Anthony Macdonell - There is an echo of this in the prayer at the end of the Dialogue, 'Give me beauty in the inward soul, and may the inward and outward man be at one.'
— from Phaedrus by Plato - ' We may now pass on to the second part of the Dialogue, which is a criticism on the first.
— from Phaedrus by Plato - We will now consider in order some of the principal points of the dialogue.
— from Gorgias by Plato - " She hesitated, somewhat disconcerted at Oak's old-fashioned earnest conclusion to a dialogue lightly carried on.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - While this dialogue was going on, the two young men and the poor lackey descended.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Chapter v. — A dialogue between Mr Jones and the barber.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - — A short chapter, containing a short dialogue between Squire Western and his sister.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - The arrival of a surgeon.—His operations, and a long dialogue between Sophia and her maid.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - Briefly pass'd This dialogue; for he who answer'd knew To whom he spoke, and made his words but few.
— from Don Juan by Baron George Gordon Byron Byron - THE CRITIC AS ARTIST WITH SOME REMARKS UPON THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING NOTHING A DIALOGUE .
— from Intentions by Oscar Wilde