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Literary notes about legacy (AI summary)

In literature, the term legacy often functions on dual levels—both as tangible bequests and as abstract inheritances that shape identity and culture. Many writers use it in a literal sense to denote money, property, or other physical assets passed down through generations ([1], [2], [3], [4]), while others imbue the word with rich metaphorical meaning, referring to inherited burdens, traditions, or inspirations that continue to influence characters long after their originators are gone ([5], [6], [7], [8]). This multifaceted usage allows legacy to serve as a bridge between material reality and the enduring impact of ideas or personal qualities, reflecting both the generosity and the complexities of what is transmitted from one generation to the next ([9], [10]).
  1. The ten thousand pounds was a legacy left to my excellent wife by the late Mr. Fairlie.
    — from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
  2. Well, just such a cupboard stood in a parlor, and had been left to the family as a legacy by the great-grandmother.
    — from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen
  3. Tom Harvey had a great liking for Johnson, and in his will had left him a legacy of fifty pounds.
    — from Boswell's Life of Johnson by James Boswell
  4. He was held in high esteem by David Hume, who left him a legacy of £200.
    — from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various
  5. His legacy was suspense—a worse boon than despair.
    — from Villette by Charlotte Brontë
  6. "I want to be one with Thee!" Out of the slow dwindling of my divine ecstasy, I salvaged a permanent legacy of inspiration to seek God.
    — from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
  7. The universal politeness of the people, which is the legacy of knightly ways, is too well known to be repeated anew.
    — from Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe
  8. Now the wealth did not weigh on me: now it was not a mere bequest of coin,—it was a legacy of life, hope, enjoyment.
    — from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
  9. The cheque was returned, the legacy refused, the writer being in no need of money.
    — from Howards End by E. M. Forster
  10. IV Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend Upon thy self thy beauty's legacy?
    — from Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare

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