Literary notes about dumbfounded (AI summary)
In literature, “dumbfounded” is frequently employed to depict characters overwhelmed by sudden shock or incredulity, a state that renders them momentarily speechless or incapable of action. It effectively signals the profound impact of unexpected events, as in the case where a character is frozen in astonishment at an absurd remark [1] or when a shocking occurrence causes an individual to stand silently in disbelief [2]. Moreover, the term is used to capture the nuanced shift from reaction to reflective stillness, as seen when a surprising encounter leaves characters at a loss for words [3]. This use of “dumbfounded” not only underscores dramatic transformation but also deepens the reader’s insight into the characters’ internal turmoil.
- The girl, dumbfounded, said to him: “How did you manage to put so big a belly into your lean stomach?”
— from The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume 2 (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere by Charles de Coster - I heard him shouting like a lunatic, in some other part of the house, and stood utterly dumbfounded at his extraordinary behaviour.
— from The Wiles of the Wicked by William Le Queux - Dr. Shrader was dumbfounded when the royal chasseur, in feather hat, broadsword at his side, summoned him.
— from The Secret Memoirs of Bertha Krupp From the Papers and Diaries of Chief Gouvernante Baroness D'Alteville by Henry W. (Henry William) Fischer
