Literary notes about pitfall (AI summary)
In literature, "pitfall" is a versatile term employed to evoke both literal and metaphorical dangers. It frequently denotes tangible traps—a physical chasm into which characters might inadvertently fall [1, 2], or a cleverly concealed snare set for prey [3, 4]—emphasizing the perils that lurk hidden in nature or human design. At the same time, the word extends its reach into the realm of the abstract, warning of subtle errors and missteps that can undermine artistic intent or ethical conduct. Writers caution against the trap of caricature in satire [5] and the snare of unoriginality, such as plagiarism [6], using "pitfall" as a metaphor for inevitable failures in judgment or technique. Moreover, the term casts a shadow over the unpredictability of fate by describing environments that imperil both the body and the spirit [7, 8]. Whether illustrating a literal descent into darkness or an intellectual trap that ensnares the unwary, "pitfall" resonates as a symbol of unforeseen hazards and the ever-present risk of miscalculation, enriching narratives with its dual quality of physical danger and moral admonition.
- They had descended into the pitfall at its lowest depths.
— from When the West Was Young by Frederick R. (Frederick Ritchie) Bechdolt - She came thus two or three steps, when a treacherous pitfall in the snow opened under her frightened feet and she went down almost shoulder deep.
— from Hidden Creek by Katharine Newlin Burt - This little creature at once marks out a tiny circle in some dry, sandy place, and begins to dig a pitfall for its prey, the ants.
— from Book of Monsters Portraits and Biographies of a Few of the Inhabitants of Woodland and Meadow by Marian Fairchild - One of these, which preyed particularly upon the Onondaga, was at last taken in a pitfall and thus killed.
— from Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney - It fulfils every requirement of a satire, steering clear of the pitfall caricature, and not obtruding the didactic element.
— from Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Gustav Karpeles - Had he been governed by the feeling for unity which his works usually display this pitfall in the borders of plagiarism would not have snared him.
— from Pictorial Composition and the Critical Judgment of Pictures by Henry Rankin Poore - Alone, man could live for his art, could combat every danger that beset him, could escape, unhampered, from every pitfall in life.
— from A Book of Myths by Jean Lang - His never wavering belief in his work and his ability to do that work have brought him through many a pitfall.
— from More Portmanteau Plays by Stuart Walker
