Literary notes about pithy (AI summary)
In literature, “pithy” is frequently applied to language that is both concise and densely packed with meaning. Many authors utilize the term to laud terse yet impactful aphorisms or dialogues that neatly encapsulate complex ideas with few words [1, 2]. It also appears in narrative descriptions where brevity and pointed expression help characterize situations or personalities, effectively conveying depth without superfluity [3, 4]. Moreover, “pithy” can describe prose that balances clarity with a kind of spirited economy, embodying both precision and substance in its delivery [5, 6].
- Hence our word laconic, meaning concise, pithy.
— from Proverb Lore Many sayings, wise or otherwise, on many subjects, gleaned from many sources by F. Edward (Frederick Edward) Hulme - [52] Emerson's style is characterized by the frequent use of pithy epigrams like this.
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - When his brief story was ended, the father of the sick woman stepped forth, and, in a few pithy expression, related, in his turn, what he knew.
— from The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper - Lincoln listened for hours one night, speaking only at rare intervals to tell a pithy story, until the clock struck one.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - " Alexander invited to Taxila a number of Brahmin ascetics noted for their skill in answering philosophical questions with pithy wisdom.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - And in the same year, 1796, Goethe and Schiller wrote between them some six hundred "Xenien," pithy sayings on the philosophic tendencies of the age.
— from The Library of Entertainment: Handbook by John Chilton Scammell
