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Literary notes about interpolate (AI summary)

In literature, interpolate is often employed as a means by which writers or speakers insert additional material into a text, whether to provide clarification, offer commentary, or introduce an aside that enriches the narrative. For instance, an author might insert a lengthy parenthetical observation on probability [1] or a succinct sentence to add nuance to a dialogue [2]. The act of interpolation can range from the deliberate inclusion of editorial remarks that reshape an account—such as when a writer interjects a critical historical note or personal recollection [3, 4]—to the more structured practice of filling in gaps between known points in a discussion [5]. This versatile usage highlights the intentional disruption of a text’s flow to emphasize a particular interpretation or to provoke reflection in the reader [6, 7].
  1. Before, however, I consider other specimens of this class, I must interpolate a long parenthesis upon probability.
    — from Theism and HumanismBeing the Gifford Lectures Delivered at the University of Glasgow, 1914 by Arthur James Balfour
  2. "Here I interpolate a sentence," said Villiers.
    — from Wagner at Home by Judith Gautier
  3. (I was inclined to interpolate, as I looked at him, that I had seen his first cousin in Kensington.)
    — from The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
  4. And here I may perhaps be allowed to interpolate another personal recollection.
    — from The Adventure of Living : a Subjective Autobiography by John St. Loe Strachey
  5. Since we do not find any number exactly equal to .7500, we must interpolate.
    — from Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose
  6. Since he expressly rules out the reality of his uncle's action, then it is natural to interpolate an "if."
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
  7. Again let me interpolate a word of warning against a misunderstanding of my thesis.
    — from Wagner as Man & Artist by Ernest Newman

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