Literary notes about put (AI summary)
"Put" performs a versatile role in literature, operating both as a literal action and as a marker for abstract or dramatic shifts. It frequently denotes tangible placement—as when a character places a coin in a pocket ([1]) or dons his coat and hat before heading out ([2])—while also capturing the moment of introducing ideas or actions, such as when a view is put forward in the midst of conversation ([3]). In other instances, "put" signals the imposition of circumstance, whether it be the unintentional placement of restrictions on creativity ([4]) or a character’s ultimate decision to end a chapter of life ([5]). This flexibility allows authors to use a single, unassuming word to evoke both physical movement and broader narrative transformation.
- Here’s a fifteen-sou piece.” Cosette had a little pocket on one side of her apron; she took the coin without saying a word, and put it in that pocket.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - I put on my coat and hat and went to Madame Mimotih’s house.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - In the smoking-room, after dinner, the Colonel put forward the view that Miss Schlegel had jumped it out of devilry.
— from Howards End by E. M. Forster - They loved and admired and protected Rabelais, and put no restrictions in his way.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais - As a rule, it will be found that as soon as the terrors of life outweigh the terrors of death a man will put an end to his life.
— from Essays of Schopenhauer by Arthur Schopenhauer
