Literary notes about foster (AI summary)
The word "foster" spans a wide range of uses in literature, serving as both a marker of familial and nurturing relationships and as a descriptor of broader influences and affiliations. In many narratives, it denotes the role of parental figures or kinship beyond biological ties, as seen in references to foster-fathers, foster-sisters, and foster-brothers who provide care or mentorship ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5]). At the same time, it appears in historical, political, and military contexts, often functioning as a surname or epithet that conveys duty and authority ([6], [7], [8], [9]). Additionally, authors employ "foster" metaphorically to illustrate the nurturing or cultivation of virtues and relationships, emphasizing its role in advancing personal growth or social ideals ([10], [11], [12]). Even in natural or allegorical settings, the term is versatile enough to describe interactions within animal communities ([13]), illustrating the diverse cultural and narrative functions of the word.
- In this engagement Amphitryon, the kind friend and foster-father of Heracles, lost his life.
— from Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens - Each of them went to the house of his father and mother, of his foster-mother and foster-father.
— from The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge - Then she mounted her sledge, and again bade her foster-mother a last and eternal farewell.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - In Malory's Morte d'Arthur , Arthur is taken from his mother, Ygerne, at birth, and committed to the care of Sir Ector as his foster-father, i, 3.
— from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I by Edmund Spenser - And you shall be companions, and shall both be foster-fathers unto him.”
— from The Mabinogion - Frazee by Lee Foster Hartman (Harper's Magazine).
— from The Best Short Stories of 1917, and the Yearbook of the American Short Story - General Foster will obey such instructions as may be given by you.
— from Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete by William T. Sherman - General John G. Foster was then commanding the Department of the Ohio.
— from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant - One day, two citizens, Messrs. Hill and Foster, came into our lines at Decatur, and were sent to my headquarters.
— from Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete by William T. Sherman - and vi.); this estimation the proud man will endeavour to foster by all the means in his power (III.
— from Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza - Both influences degrade him and he helps to foster both.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - The little quarrels of happy love foster a long time the illusion of a heart that still loves and sees itself badly treated.
— from On Love by Stendhal - They often lay so many eggs—from fifteen to twenty—in the same foster-nest, that few or none can possibly be hatched.
— from The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin
