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Literary notes about espionage (AI summary)

The term "espionage" in literature has appeared in a variety of contexts, reflecting its flexibility as both a literal and metaphorical device. For instance, Bernard Shaw employs the word to critique state security practices amid public dissent, demonstrating its political connotation in [1]. In contrast, Wirt Sikes uses espionage to underscore personal suspicions within domestic relationships, broadening its application to interpersonal realms [2]. Agatha Christie’s playful repetition in [3] and [4] hints at the word’s pivotal role in mystery narratives, where it teases the reader with hidden truths. Similarly, John Buchan’s reference to aerial espionage in [5] and the usage in Charlotte Brontë’s "Villette" ([6] and [7]) evoke an image of surveillance that borders on the invasive, simultaneously symbolizing control and rebellion. Even translations, as seen in Benito Pérez Galdós’s work [8], confirm the term’s universal resonance across languages and cultures.
  1. THE BYSTANDERS GENERALLY [demonstrating against police espionage] Course they could.
    — from Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw
  2. A husband who is suspected of having a termagant wife, is made the subject of espionage.
    — from British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Wirt Sikes
  3. But for espionage, mon ami .” “Espionage?”
    — from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
  4. But for espionage, mon ami .” “Espionage?”
    — from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
  5. I did not like this espionage from the air, and I began to think less well of the countryside I had chosen for a refuge.
    — from The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
  6. "Surveillance," "espionage,"—these were her watchwords.
    — from Villette by Charlotte Brontë
  7. As Madame Beck ruled by espionage, she of course had
    — from Villette by Charlotte Brontë
  8. espionaje m ; espionage, spying.
    — from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós

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