Literary notes about lying (AI summary)
The word "lying" in literature exhibits remarkable versatility, functioning both as a descriptor of physical position and as a metaphor for deception. In many passages, it straightforwardly describes a state of rest or placement—characters and objects are vividly depicted as lying on sofas, floors, or even across vast landscapes, as seen when Chekhov portrays a man lying on a sofa [1] or Strabo notes a city lying all around a hill [2]. However, authors also employ "lying" to evoke moral and epistemological ambiguity. For instance, it appears in contexts that criticize deceit and falsehood, such as the denunciation of "lying inventions" [3] or the contemplation of the injurious nature of lying [4]. This dual usage reveals the word's capacity to navigate between literal description and abstract commentary, reflecting both the physical realities and the complex inner lives of its subjects.