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Literary notes about portfolio (AI summary)

In literature, the term portfolio frequently functions as a tangible repository for creative works, official papers, or personal treasures, while also evoking broader metaphorical associations with one’s professional identity and inner life. Characters are often depicted carrying a portfolio that contains sketches, letters, or ledgers, symbolizing both their artistic endeavors and societal roles—as in instances where an artist refines a sketch kept within it ([1], [2]) or a gentleman safeguards important documents ([3], [4]). In other narratives, the portfolio represents a vital extension of the self, conveying duty, secrecy, or even vulnerability through its physical presence, whether as a container of treasured memories or critical evidence ([5], [6], [7]). This diverse use underscores the portfolio’s role as an emblem of creativity, responsibility, and personal history throughout literary works.
  1. I found that sketch in my portfolio the other day, touched it up, and kept it to show you."
    — from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott
  2. 16mo, boards, 1 s. Sketches from an Artist’s Portfolio.
    — from British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Wirt Sikes
  3. A moment afterwards Julie saw him go upstairs carrying two or three heavy ledgers, a portfolio, and a bag of money.
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  4. “Then it was not till your return to the ship that you put the letter in the portfolio?” “No.”
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  5. Henry, author of "Trifles from my Portfolio," attended Sir William Campbell in his last illness.
    — from Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding
  6. In the letter he enclosed three of Vronsky’s notes to Anna, which were in the portfolio he had taken away.
    — from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
  7. But Will at last turned away from his portfolio and approached the window again.
    — from Middlemarch by George Eliot

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