Literary notes about murmured (AI summary)
The term “murmured” is often employed to convey softly spoken dialogue imbued with intimacy, hesitance, or underlying emotion. It frequently appears in moments where characters express confidential sentiments or reflective moods, as when tender words blend with physical closeness in the quiet intimacy of a shared shoulder [1] or when a character delivers a thoughtful, almost conspiratorial remark [2]. Authors such as Oscar Wilde, Victor Hugo, and Thomas Hardy use the word to subtly indicate a range of emotions—from gentle affection [3, 4] and quiet despair [5] to introspective loneliness [6, 7]—allowing the reader to sense the layers of meaning behind what is otherwise unspoken.
- she murmured, her cheek upon his shoulder.
— from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy - "I think not," he murmured thoughtfully, "I seldom have to apply the whip, and then only once.
— from The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers - " Dorian murmured a graceful compliment and looked round the room.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - " "How sad it is!" murmured Dorian Gray, with his eyes still fixed upon his own portrait.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - You have one minute.” “Mercy!” murmured the murderer; then he dropped his head and stammered a few inarticulate oaths.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - “The last,” he murmured, “the last of this silly universe.
— from The island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells - She was so alarmed at his silence that she murmured something about lending him sufficient money to tide over the perilous fortnight.
— from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
