Literary notes about gleam (AI summary)
The word “gleam” functions as a versatile image in literature, evoking both literal flashes of light and metaphorical hints of inner emotion. It can represent a transient burst of brightness that highlights both external scenery and the inner life of characters—capturing a moment of beauty amid gloom, as when a character catches a fleeting glimmer in a desolate landscape [1] or when a window shines like a brazier [2]. It also communicates deeper states of mind: a malicious gleam in a man’s eyes subtly reveals hidden intent [3], while a gleam of hope can soften even the bleakest circumstance [4][5]. Whether signifying the radiant burst of heroic armor [6] or the pallid gleam of dawning day that outlines a figure [7], the term captures a unique interplay between light and shadow, physical presence and emotional insight [8][9].
- She loved to catch, in the momentary gleam, the gloomy landscape.
— from The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe - Here and there windows began to gleam, like the holes in a brazier.
— from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo - His son found him on his bed of straw, wrapped up in his blanket, with his eyes open and a malicious gleam in them.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - “She's perhaps too naïve,” thought Katerina Ivanovna, with a gleam of hope.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Old Father Osip saw this, and there was a gleam of hope in his face.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - A gleam of sunshine, passing through the scant foliage of a bamboo, lighted up her beautiful golden hair.
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc - Hours must have passed, for it was the pale gleam of the dawn that revealed his outline against the canvas.
— from The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood - He stopped suddenly, and a gleam of light came into his eyes.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Their radiance casts a gleam of purple over their suite.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
