Literary notes about penumbra (AI summary)
The word "penumbra" serves as a versatile metaphor in literature, bridging the gap between light and darkness both in the physical world and in abstract thought. It is often employed to evoke the transitional, ambiguous space where clarity fades into obscurity—whether describing the literal partial shadow of celestial bodies ([1], [2]) or the more figurative boundaries of human emotion and intellect, as when a character experiences deep sorrow or subtle disillusionment ([3], [4]). Beyond the physical, some writers extend its use to delineate the nebulous margins of ideas and societal constructs, suggesting realms where clarity is elusive or definitions become blurred ([5], [6]). In this way, "penumbra" enriches narrative imagery by hinting at powerful undercurrents hidden just beyond the reach of full illumination.
- 26.—Form of the Earth's Shadow, showing the Penumbra, or partially shaded region.
— from The Story of the Heavens by Robert S. (Robert Stawell) Ball - The Breadth of this Image answered to the Sun's Diameter, and was about two Inches and the eighth Part of an Inch, including the Penumbra.
— from Opticks : by Isaac Newton - He fancied that he had felt himself in the penumbra of a very deep sadness when touching that slight and fragile creature.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - and I saw, or thought I saw, as did my doctors, the advance of the penumbra, the shadow of eclipse which was to engulf my life.
— from The Adventure of Living : a Subjective Autobiography by John St. Loe Strachey - Less edifying forms of worship may attract more attention, but it must not be supposed that Râma is relegated to the penumbra of philosophic thought.
— from Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2 by Eliot, Charles, Sir - Legal, like natural divisions, however clear in their general outline, will be found on exact scrutiny to end in a penumbra or debatable land.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes
