Literary notes about extravagant (AI summary)
The term "extravagant" in literature is employed to depict excess in various forms—whether in character behavior, emotional intensity, or material expression. It is used to emphasize a departure from the norm, as seen when a young man’s unruly conduct is labeled not just undutiful but extravagantly bad [1], or when an overwhelming sense of satisfaction is described as almost extravagant [2]. At times, it underlines the peculiar originality or even the inherent flaw in an idea, suggesting both uniqueness and an overstepping of bounds [3]. The word is also applied in contexts of financial excess, where lavish spending or hyperbolic expenditures evoke a world of opulence and indulgence [4], while in social interactions it may serve as a subtle critique of a tendency toward ostentation or imprudence [5]. In each case, "extravagant" enriches the narrative by highlighting actions, sentiments, or practices that exceed necessary limits.
- As the son grew a young man, he turned out riotous, extravagant, undutiful,—altogether bad.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - My most pronounced sensation beyond this was one of great, almost extravagant, satisfaction.
— from My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner - Such an application betokened an extravagant mind, but there was in it a certain dignity, a singularity, which attracted me.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - Thus his yearly bill for gloves alone will amount to a most extravagant sum.
— from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness by Cecil B. Hartley - Don’t spoil it by saying extravagant silly things to me.
— from Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde
