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Literary notes about gesture (AI summary)

In literature, the term "gesture" serves as a concise yet potent signal, conveying a spectrum of emotions and intentions beyond spoken language. It might denote an act of despair or resignation, as when a character abandons a pursuit with a sorrowful sweep of the hand [1], or a subtle motion that hints at mystery or empathy [2][3]. Authors employ gestures to reveal inner turmoil or character resolve, such as a decisive directional command on a ship [4] or a dismissive flick that shuts down further discussion [5]. Whether marking approval, defiance, apology, or even a silent demand for attention [6][7], gestures imbue narrative moments with layers of meaning, bridging the gap between the physical and emotional worlds.
  1. He was at one time engrossed in the study of our home and foreign politics, but he soon gave up the undertaking with a gesture of despair.
    — from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  2. “Pale moons like that one”—Amory made a vague gesture—“make people mysterieuse.
    — from This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  3. Contenting myself, accordingly, with a gesture of loving sympathy, I left the room.
    — from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
  4. At a mere gesture from him, the helmsman would instantly change the Nautilus's heading.
    — from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne
  5. Fauchelevent made, with his left hand, that sort of a gesture which dismisses a troublesome subject.
    — from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  6. [With a gesture of despair, he obeys and sits down again].
    — from Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw
  7. he added, with a gesture of kingly condescension.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy

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