Literary notes about instance (AI summary)
Writers adopt the term "instance" to signal a particular occurrence or case that illuminates an argument or narrative. In some works, it marks a turning point or specific event—such as a scandalous incident or a moment of legal consequence [1, 2]—while in others it is used to introduce a hypothetical or illustrative point, lending clarity to the author's reasoning [3, 4]. The word is equally at home in scientific and philosophical discourses, where it designates a distinct case that supports broader generalizations [5, 6]. Even in everyday dialogue within literature, "instance" captures both fleeting moments and deliberate reflections, ranging from the precise depiction of an individual experience to the rationale behind political or social dynamics [7, 8]. Overall, its varied use across genres underscores its function as a tool for emphasizing specificity and reinforcing the narrative or argument at hand.
- One instance had ended in great scandal for the person attacked and the other had very nearly ended in serious trouble.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - If I am taken in Delhi at the instance of lawyers, upon a proven charge of murder, my body is handed over to the State that desires it.
— from Kim by Rudyard Kipling - Neither should false personalities be invented; one should not say, for instance, "Nature is cruel."
— from The Will to Power: An Attempted Transvaluation of All Values. Book I and II by Nietzsche - “Neither duty, nor honour, nor gratitude,” replied Elizabeth, “have any possible claim on me, in the present instance.
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - We know not exactly what the checks are in even one single instance.
— from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - I can only assert that instincts certainly do vary—for instance, the migratory instinct, both in extent and direction, and in its total loss.
— from The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - “I confess I am in this instance, for all this mystery seems designed to excite curiosity.”
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - The instance of the election of the Doge of Venice confirms, instead of destroying, this distinction; the mixed form suits a mixed government.
— from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau