Literary notes about function (AI summary)
In literature, “function” is invoked to denote the purpose or role that various elements assume within a text or society. It may refer to the mental or cognitive operations of the mind, as when writers explore the mechanisms of thought and consciousness [1, 2, 3]. At the same time, the term is used to describe the practical utility of things—from the structural role that grammatical components play in language [4, 5] to the mathematical definition of a process or mapping in more technical discussions [6, 7]. In social and artistic contexts, “function” carries a broader cultural significance, signifying everything from the intended role of a social event to the deeper objectives underlying art and moral duty [8, 9, 10, 11]. Through these varied uses, literature reveals function as an adaptable concept that not only structures form but also imbues actions and institutions with a sense of purpose.
- If we then consider the cognitive function of different
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - But what on this view could be the function of the consciousness itself?
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - In the function of knowing there is a multiplicity to be connected, and Kant brings this multiplicity inside the mind.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - Its function is the same as that of an adverb ( promptly ) or an adverbial phrase ( on the stroke of the bell ).
— from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge - Their function is to modify other parts of speech, that is, to change their meaning in some way.
— from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge - A function is increasing or decreasing, according as its derivative is positive or negative.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Symbolical formula for representing the total differential of the n th order of a function of several independent variables.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - A dinner service without silver—"the little dinner is thought by most people to be the very pleasantest social function there is."
— from Etiquette by Emily Post - The wedding of last Tuesday was the most interesting function I have seen.
— from Letters from China and Japan by Harriet Alice Chipman Dewey and John Dewey - To understand, to accept, and to use the situation in which a mortal may find himself is the function of art and reason.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - To turn events into ideas is the function of literature.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana
