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Literary notes about moment (AI summary)

In literature, the word "moment" is often employed to denote a brief, yet transformative, sliver of time—a point at which significant internal or external shifts occur. Authors use it to mark instances of sudden insight, change, or pause in the narrative flow. For instance, moments of realization or regret, as when a character instantly confronts a moral failing in Middlemarch [1] or experiences an internal search for resolution in The Red Badge of Courage [2], imbue these fleeting instants with dramatic force. Equally, "moment" functions as a temporal marker to clearly stage transitions, whether in the quiet pause before a burst of dialogue as seen in Sister Carrie [3], or in climactic events like the sudden arrival of unforeseen characters in narratives by Dumas [4]. In all these cases, the word enhances the immediacy and emotional depth of the narrative, emphasizing that even the briefest interval can pivot the course of a story.
  1. But at this moment he suddenly saw himself as a pitiful rascal who was robbing two women of their savings.
    — from Middlemarch by George Eliot
  2. For a moment he seemed to be searching for a formidable reply.
    — from The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane
  3. Carrie looked at him a moment and forgot all about the company present.
    — from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser
  4. She turned towards him with a serene smile just at the moment he was bowing to her.
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet

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