Literary notes about enlightened (AI summary)
The word “enlightened” is employed with remarkable versatility in literature, serving both as a marker of intellectual and spiritual awakening and as a descriptor of literal illumination. At times, it conveys a sudden emergence from a state of darkness or ignorance into one of rationality and moral clarity, as when a character is transformed by personal resolve or divine intervention ([1], [2]). In other instances, it underscores the principle of progress—whether in political or social contexts—by portraying societies or leaders as having achieved superior understanding and governance ([3], [4]). The term also functions metaphorically, uniting physical light with the inner glow of self-knowledge and hope, as illustrated in evocative passages that link literal brightness to the revival of human spirit and aspiration ([5], [6]). Thus, “enlightened” elegantly bridges material and immaterial realms, underscoring humanity’s continual quest for truth and illumination ([7], [8]).
- I rose from the thanksgiving—took a resolve—and lay down, unscared, enlightened—eager but for the daylight.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - For we are not that light which enlighteneth every man, but we are enlightened by Thee; that having been sometimes darkness, we may be light in Thee.
— from The Confessions of St. Augustine by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.
— from The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison - Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - He ended, and his words their drooping cheer Enlightened, and their languished hope revived.
— from Paradise Lost by John Milton - A glance at the window enlightened me further, and the striking of a match completed the picture.
— from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - When he had done, instead of feeling better, calmer, more enlightened by his disc
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - It moved slowly, but it enlightened my path; and I again went out in search of berries.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
