Literary notes about perspiring (AI summary)
The use of “perspiring” in literature frequently serves to illustrate not only the physical exertion of characters but also their emotional states. Authors employ the term to evoke a tangible sense of heat, anxiety, or effort; for instance, in one narrative a character is described as “all perspiring” while navigating dim urban alleys [1], whereas in another work it accentuates both physical exertion and emotional tension during moments of heightened drama [2, 3]. In many instances, the word transforms mere bodily function into a metaphor for inner turmoil or exuberance, as seen in depictions of characters laboring under intense pressure [4, 5] or reacting to overwhelming circumstances [6]. This layered usage enriches the narrative, allowing readers to viscerally feel the characters’ experiences.
- She plunged into dark alleys, and, all perspiring, reached the bottom of the Rue Nationale, near the fountain that stands there.
— from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - “I won’t!” cried Natásha, with one hand holding back the hair that hung over her perspiring face, while with the other she pressed down the carpets.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - On its long back sat Daniel, hunched forward, capless, his disheveled gray hair hanging over his flushed, perspiring face.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - And twenty times running I kept it up, soaking my feet afresh each time, and perspiring anew as I worked the handle of the pump.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - His temper was certainly no better when he arrived, perspiring freely and thirsty.
— from The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham - He was perspiring, breathless, and fearfully flushed.
— from White Nights and Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
