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Literary notes about misconstrue (AI summary)

In literature, the term "misconstrue" often reflects the nuanced process by which intentions, emotions, or subtle communications are misinterpreted, thereby complicating relationships and interactions. For instance, Anne Brontë employs the term in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to express a deliberate act of withholding one's true emotions so as not to invite misunderstanding [1]. Similarly, E. M. Forster’s use in Howards End illustrates how social dynamics can lead to the habitual misinterpretation of a person's behavior, almost as if it were a communal ritual [2]. In George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, the word takes on a more defensive tone, highlighting a plea for clarity and an insistence on being understood as intended [3]. Collectively, these examples underscore how "misconstrue" serves as a literary device that encapsulates the fragility of clear communication and the complex web of human interaction.
  1. I instantly turned away, lest he should see and misconstrue my emotion.
    — from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
  2. She leant back while the more earnest members of the club began to misconstrue her.
    — from Howards End by E. M. Forster
  3. But you will not misconstrue me.
    — from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

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