Literary notes about digress (AI summary)
In literature, “digress” serves as a deliberate signal that the author is temporarily straying from the main topic to offer commentary, clarification, or a humorous aside. Its usage ranges from light, conversational asides—where authors note their tendency to wander off-topic [1]—to structured departures that introduce technical explanations or historical context before a swift return to the primary subject [2, 3]. At times, a self-aware admission of excess tangential detail is used to enhance intimacy with the reader, as when the narrator apologizes for deviating from the point [4]. In each case, “digress” enriches the narrative by giving writers the freedom to explore related ideas without detracting from the overall coherence of their work.
- And since I digress constantly anyhow, perhaps it is as well to eschew apologies altogether and thus prevent their growing irksome.
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain - Permit me, Sir, to digress a moment from the subject, to give the result of an experiment which seems interesting.
— from New observations on the natural history of bees by François Huber - I shall digress for a moment to ask whether you know what is meant by a causal therapy?
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - A poet’s life is usually sad anyhow—full of disappointment and pain—but I digress.
— from Turn About Eleanor by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Kelley
