Literary notes about illuminate (AI summary)
The term "illuminate" in literature operates on both literal and symbolic levels. In some passages, it describes a tangible act of lighting—a torch used to literally brighten a dark hall ([1]) or orders issued during a festive celebration to light up houses ([2]), even extending to scenes where authorities command people to "illuminate" their surroundings ([3]). Simultaneously, authors employ it in a metaphorical sense to convey intellectual or moral clarity. It signifies the act of shedding insight on a murky subject, as when writers express a commitment to "illuminate the future" ([4]) or to reveal hidden facets of political intrigue and human nature ([5],[6]). In these ways, "illuminate" bridges the physical act of lighting with the broader, more abstract notion of enlightenment and understanding.
- The valets brought in torches to illuminate the hall.
— from The Works of Balzac: A linked index to all Project Gutenberg editions by Honoré de Balzac - "It is the queen's birthday," said the policeman; "and this evening they illuminate the houses."
— from Rollo in London by Jacob Abbott - The commissaries of police ran about the city, knocked at the doors, and called the people up to illuminate.
— from The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 3 by Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron - Let us maintain this, not to punish the past, but to illuminate the future.
— from The History of a Crime by Victor Hugo - Yet Burr himself repays study, for his activities touch many sides of contemporary society and illuminate many dark corners in American politics.
— from Jefferson and His Colleagues: A Chronicle of the Virginia Dynasty by Allen Johnson - With a torch in my hand, the light of which is not by any means a flickering one, I illuminate this nether world with beams that cut like blades.
— from Ecce Homo by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
