Literary notes about insular (AI summary)
The word "insular" in literature serves as a multifaceted descriptor, applying both to physical isolation and to a metaphorical narrowness of perspective. Authors use it to evoke the separateness of an island or region, suggesting natural advantages or limitations—as seen when a writer emphasizes the isolating nature of a nation’s geography [1] or the defensibility of a remote territory [2]. At the same time, “insular” conveys a sense of inwardness or parochialism, critiquing characters or systems that are detached from broader influences, whether in the context of cultural attitudes [3] or societal prejudices [4]. This dual aspect—merging the tangible isolation of an island with the abstract limitation of an insular mindset—is further illustrated when contrasting lifestyles [5] or describing evolutionary peculiarities in species [6], seamlessly enriching the narrative with layers of meaning.
- The insular nature of Great Britain obtruded itself upon his notice in an odious form.
— from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad - “The insular character and narrow limits of Labuan will make it easily and cheaply defensible.
— from The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. DidoFor the Suppression of Piracy by Rajah of Sarawak James - To the insular cynic and the insular moralist they offer an equal opportunity.
— from Howards End by E. M. Forster - American opinion really never counted, because American opinion was looked on as insular.
— from Ten Years Near the German Frontier: A Retrospect and a Warning by Maurice Francis Egan - Both preferred a continental to an insular manner of life, a cisatlantic to a transatlantic place of residence.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - The species all change to white in winter, except L. scoticus , which appears to be merely a permanently dark, southern, insular form of L. albus .
— from A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3 by Robert Ridgway
