Literary notes about loquacity (AI summary)
The term "loquacity" has been deployed in literature with a rich variety of connotations, often extending beyond mere talkativeness to embody a character’s overall expressive quality or even a symbolic gesture. In some works, authors use it to capture an excess of words or a kind of unfiltered verbosity—as seen in Augustine’s ironic sale of a "loquacity" in [1] and Conrad’s warning about "fits of loquacity" in [2]. In contrast, Hardy employs the term in nuanced ways, referring not only to verbal expression but also to nonverbal cues; in one instance, the "loquacity of her face" in [3] suggests that even silence can speak volumes, a theme neatly counterposed with Gabriel’s meaningful silence in [4]. Other writers like Eliot [5] and Maupassant [6] leverage the term to illustrate astonishment and charm in their characters’ demeanor, while Dumas [7] and Lewis [8] note its fluctuation as an indicator of mood or societal commentary. Across these diverse texts, "loquacity" emerges as a flexible literary device that captures the interplay between speech, silence, and the deeper layers of human communication.
- In those years I taught rhetoric, and, overcome by cupidity, made sale of a loquacity to overcome by.
— from The Confessions of St. Augustine by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - They sat silent themselves, keeping a watchful eye on poor Stevie, lest he should break out into one of his fits of loquacity.
— from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad - But she forbore to utter this feeling, and the reticence of her tongue only made the loquacity of her face the more noticeable.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - There is a loquacity that tells nothing, which was Bathsheba's; and there is a silence which says much: that was Gabriel's.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - Uncle Glegg stood open-mouthed with astonishment at this unembarrassed loquacity, with which his understanding could hardly keep pace.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - The notary, Maitre Rameau, was one of the first to take his part, attracted by his smiling loquacity.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - D’Artagnan was thoughtful and seemed for the moment to have lost his usual loquacity.
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - The nervous loquacity and opinionation of the Zenith Athletic Club dropped from them.
— from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis