Literary notes about implication (AI summary)
In literature the term "implication" operates on multiple levels, from suggesting latent meanings in character interactions to serving as a logical bridge between ideas. It can denote an unspoken consequence or a subtle hint, as when a remark carries an undercurrent of criticism without stating it outright [1, 2]. At the same time, implication is employed in philosophical and empirical discourse to suggest relationships or outcomes that are not explicitly detailed, thereby inviting the reader to infer deeper significance [3, 4]. In this way, the word enriches narrative tone and argument by requiring engagement beyond the literal words on the page [5, 6].
- After which offensive implication, he cut himself a crust of bread, and threw the knife down with a noise.
— from Hard Times by Charles Dickens - It is thus conceded, by implication, that Lord Holt's rule has been abandoned.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes - But this pregnancy and implication of thought in relation to its natural environment is purely empirical.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - There cannot be an intellectual effort in any province of art without a moral implication.
— from The English Stage: Being an Account of the Victorian Drama by Augustin Filon - " Her colour rose a little at the implication, but she steeled herself with a light laugh.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - It is true that the mutual implication of the two kinds of study—the positive and the practical—is, on any theory, very close and complete.
— from The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick
