Literary notes about enormous (AI summary)
The word “enormous” consistently serves as a versatile intensifier across literature, lending both literal and metaphorical weight to its subjects. In adventure narratives, for example, Jules Verne repeatedly deploys the term to evoke the vast scales of nature and human endeavor—describing depressions of 9,000 yards [1], immense masses [2, 3, 4, 5, 6], and even formidable natural structures, like distant walls of snow [7]. Meanwhile, in historical and philosophical contexts, authors use “enormous” to underscore significance and influence, as seen in references to the unifying power of monarchies [8] or the staggering sums squandered in society [9]. The adjective also appears in more figurative or playful settings, from characterizing impressive physical strength [10] to emphasizing an almost hyperbolic respect for tradition or personal attributes [11, 12]. In each instance, “enormous” amplifies the subject—whether concrete or abstract—imbuing the narrative with a sense of magnitude that resonates with readers.
- This valley bifurcates to the parallel of the Antilles, and terminates at the mouth by the enormous depression of 9,000 yards.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne - The Captain fell to the earth, upset by the enormous mass which leant upon him.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne - The pumps of the Nautilus have an enormous power, as you must have observed when their jets of water burst like a torrent upon the Abraham Lincoln.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne - On all sides were capes and promontories and enormous cliffs, partially worn by the eternal breaking of the waves, through countless ages!
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - And already I could see enormous sharks moving in, eyes ablaze, drawn by the lure of human flesh!
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - But the base of these high walls consisted of broken soil over which there lay picturesque piles of volcanic blocks and enormous pumice stones.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - And these two towers were outlined against the milky whiteness of the Alps, that enormous distant wall of snow which enclosed the entire horizon.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - History has shown it to be the enormous advantage of monarchies that they unify the political interests of the popular mass.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - Little Hallum seemed to consider it an indubitable sign of gentle blood as well as of lofty spirit to be able to squander such enormous sums.
— from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving - But M. Dubuis crushed him with his enormous weight and kept punching him without taking breath or knowing where his blows fell.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - I have an enormous respect now for the old etiquette and ceremonies regarded as physical culture.
— from Letters from China and Japan by Harriet Alice Chipman Dewey and John Dewey - Without exaggeration, my testicles are enormous.
— from The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel by Anonymous
