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Literary notes about lance (AI summary)

The word “lance” has served not only as the literal weapon of war but also as a rich symbol of heroism, nobility, and even metaphorical critique in literature over the centuries. In ancient epics such as Homer’s Iliad, the lance is central to martial valor and the fate of warriors—its arc, toss, and breakage encapsulating the chaos and honor of battle ([1], [2], [3]). This martial imagery continues in medieval romances, where figures in works like Ivanhoe and The Mabinogion wield the lance as an emblem of chivalry and the personal valor of knights ([4], [5], [6], [7]). Beyond its physical embodiment, writers have played with the word’s connotations, using it metaphorically to signify a pointed critique or a decisive action, as seen in references that liken the impact of a word or deed to the piercing capability of the lance ([8], [9], [10]). Thus, across genres and eras, the lance has evolved from a simple weapon to a powerful literary device symbolizing both the fervor of combat and the complex nature of human endeavor.
  1. First the sharp lance was by Atrides thrown; The lance far distant by the winds was blown.
    — from The Iliad by Homer
  2. Amidst the dreadful vale, the chiefs advance, All pale with rage, and shake the threatening lance.
    — from The Iliad by Homer
  3. Atrides, watchful of the unwary foe, Pierced with his lance the hand that grasp'd the bow.
    — from The Iliad by Homer
  4. I saw your brave lance, Bois-Guilbert, roll thrice over, grasping his hands full of sand at every turn.”
    — from Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott
  5. But Ivanhoe was already at his post, and had closed his visor, and assumed his lance.
    — from Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott
  6. In the hand of the youth was a mighty lance, speckled yellow, with a newly-sharpened head; and upon the lance a banner displayed.
    — from The Mabinogion
  7. Then the Knight passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with the two horses, leaving me where I was.
    — from The Mabinogion
  8. The tongue wounds more than a lance.
    — from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs
  9. Do you dare under these circumstances to break a lance for the absence of evil from the psychic constitution of mankind?
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
  10. lance m casualty, crisis, adventure, episode.
    — from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós

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