Literary notes about lucidity (AI summary)
In literature, "lucidity" is employed to evoke a clear, sometimes brutally honest insight into a character’s state of mind or a narrative’s underlying logic. It is often depicted as a sudden moment of clarity amid confusion or emotion—a transient burst that can be as jarring as it is enlightening, as seen when a character experiences that "cruel lucidity" that exposes their inner torment [1] or when sharp observation is rendered with the precision of a terse judge [2]. Authors also use the term to highlight dialogue or narration that cuts through ambiguity, lending directness and force to the unfolding events, much like the unburdened explanation offered by a character regaining the light to their eyes [3]. This multifaceted use of "lucidity" underscores both the clarity of thought and the power of precise expression, enriching the texture of literary language.
- He had a sudden moment of lucidity—of that cruel lucidity that comes once in life to the most benighted.
— from An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad - His narrative had the lucidity of a terse judge reviewing evidence.
— from My Year of the War Including an Account of Experiences with the Troops in France and the Record of a Visit to the Grand Fleet Which is Here Given for the First Time in its Complete Form by Frederick Palmer - The light had come back to his eyes and the colour to his cheeks, as he set himself with great vigour and lucidity to explain the situation.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
