Literary notes about looking (AI summary)
The term “looking” functions in a multifaceted way in literature, often traversing the boundary between literal vision and deeper emotional or psychological insight. It can denote a simple act of seeing—as when a character searches for a person or object, suggesting curiosity or urgency ([1], [2]), or it may describe a more complex internal state, as seen when a character’s gaze reveals their inner turmoil or growing affection ([3], [4]). Additionally, “looking” is used to capture external appearances and to create vivid character portrayals, whether signaling a disquieting aura or the charm of an individual ([5], [6]). At times, it hints at the act of perceiving the world from unique perspectives—both physically and metaphorically—thereby deepening our understanding of characters and their environments ([7], [8]).
- At that instant Yasha walks into the room looking for his father.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - He was looking through a field glass down the highroad before him.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - Pierre held the hand of his betrothed in silence, looking at her beautiful bosom as it rose and fell.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - “I know...” Pierre was looking into Princess Mary’s eyes.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - Ivan stood in the middle of the room, and still spoke in the same brooding tone, looking at the ground.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I have seldom seen a more remarkable-looking person.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - It is only another way of looking at Time.
— from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells - I have found it difficult, when looking at any two species, to avoid picturing to myself, forms DIRECTLY intermediate between them.
— from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin
