Literary notes about grasping (AI summary)
The term “grasping” in literature is employed both as a description of physical action and as a metaphor for mental or moral states. It vividly captures the act of seizing or holding—whether it is the forceful clutching of a weapon during a battle [1], the warm grasping of a friend’s hand to convey trust [2], or even an unsympathetic depiction of avarice in a character [3]. Moreover, it extends to abstract notions, such as attempting to “grasp” an idea or meaning [4] or failing to understand a remark [5]. In each use, the word enriches the narrative by linking tactile physicality with the more intangible aspects of human emotion and thought.
- Then he led him through some dark passages to a forge, and grasping an axe he drove one of the anvils with a blow into the earth.
— from The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang - “And believe me, my friend,” said I, stepping up, and grasping him warmly by the hand, “believe me, she can be the same with you.
— from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving - Ebenezer Scrooge, a grasping, covetous old man, the surviving partner of the firm of Scrooge and Marley.
— from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Direct and Indirect Understanding Direct and circuitous understanding In the above illustrations two types of grasping of meaning are exemplified.
— from How We Think by John Dewey - Pierre smiled absent-mindedly, evidently not grasping what she said.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
