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Literary notes about postscript (AI summary)

The term "postscript" has long served as a multifaceted literary device. In classic epistolary narratives and letters, authors often use it to add a reflective afterthought or to inject a subtle twist. For instance, in Chekhov’s work the postscript is noted not only as an addendum but also as a literary punctuation that shapes the context of the communication [1]. Alexandre Dumas repeatedly employs it in The Count of Monte Cristo to underscore moments of suspense or to draw attention to overlooked details, as seen when characters explicitly refer to “the postscript” to emphasize its significance [2], [3], [4]. Moreover, writers like Thackeray and Montgomery use postscripts to relay personal nuances or final observations that, in a way, extend the narrative beyond the main body of the letter [5], [6]. This technique, while sometimes used in a straightforward manner, also appears in a more structural or even humorous context—as with formal headings or technical references in texts like The Spectator or even modern user manuals [7], [8]—demonstrating the term’s evolving versatility in literature.
  1. Below was a postscript: "I join in mother's request.—K." Startsev considered, and in the evening he went to the Turkins'.
    — from The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  2. “Did you see the postscript?”
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  3. “Then the postscript——” “Well; what of the postscript?” “Then the postscript is as favorably received by you as the rest of the letter?”
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  4. She cast her eyes again over the note to peruse it a second time, and saw there was a postscript.
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  5. She made George write to him constantly and persisted in sending Mamma's kind love in a postscript.
    — from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
  6. It was a silly, harmless letter, and Anne would have laughed over it had it not been for the postscript.
    — from Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
  7. Postscript .
    — from The Spectator, Volume 1 by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele
  8. Go ahead and type man -k PostScript , and you will see a list of all the manual pages on your system that have something to do with PostScript.
    — from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

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