Literary notes about nuance (AI summary)
In literature, the term "nuance" often suggests an almost imperceptible difference—a subtle gradation that enriches a character’s gesture, voice, or even a work of art itself. It is used to capture the fine shifts in demeanor or the slight inflections in dialogue that reveal hidden layers of meaning, as when a character’s almost imperceptible tone betrays a hint of unsaid sentiment ([1], [2]). At the same time, writers harness nuance to evoke different shades in both color and sound, allowing readers to feel the delicacy of expression—whether it is the "nuance of truth" in a reply or the minute distinctions in artistic performance ([3], [4], [5]). By employing such subtleties, authors invite a more attentive, discerning engagement with their work, where every small detail contributes to a richer, more complex interpretation ([6], [7]).
- A faint, so faint nuance of assent in Cousin Lydia's voice seemed to admit the succeeding comment, shorn of impertinence.
— from A Woman of Genius by Mary Hunter Austin - Lord Yorkshire, strolling by {77} her, thought he heard a nuance of impatience in her assent, and his question had a touch of insincerity about it.
— from The Challoners by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson - “Miss Illington leaves no delicate nuance of expression untouched,” has been written of her.
— from Heroines of the Modern Stage by Forrest Izard - There is a scarcely imperceptible nuance of sound differing.
— from Montreal, 1535-1914. Vol. 1. Under the French Régime, 1535-1760 by William H. (William Henry) Atherton - "A changing blond, a flame blond, or if you wish to decompose the nuance, tawny, ash and gold.
— from Very Woman (Sixtine): A Cerebral Novel by Remy de Gourmont - This play was, for her, and for Paris, too, the last word in dramatic art, the supreme nuance of beauty.
— from Visionaries by James Huneker - ‘Well—Shakespearean,’ answered the artist, wondering by what subtle nuance of expression the model would convey the difference.
— from Essays and Lectures by Oscar Wilde
