Literary notes about rattle (AI summary)
The word "rattle" is a versatile auditory cue in literature, used both literally and metaphorically to evoke atmosphere and emotion. Authors depict it as the jarring clamor of physical objects—whether it's the windows in a stormy night clattering against their frames ([1]), the wheels of a carriage making their distinctive noise on rough roads ([2], [3]), or even the rattling of chains that suggests confinement or unrest ([4], [5]). At times, "rattle" also characterizes a personal trait or playful sobriquet, lending an eccentric charm to names or actions ([6], [7]). In each usage, the term enriches the sensory detail of the narrative, drawing the reader into a vivid, dynamic soundscape.
- Howls the shrill wind round Chesney Wold; the sharp rain beats, the windows rattle, and the chimneys growl.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens - Then he heard the rattle of the wheels and the snort of the sleek horse close by him.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - To judge from the swaying of the van and the rattle of the wheels the train is moving rapidly and unevenly.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - The old man was alone, but from time to time a groan or the rattle of a chain was heard on the other side of the wall.
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal - Our chains rattle, even while we are complaining of them.
— from Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - “My dear Jack Rattle!” replied she, running into his arms, “is it you?
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. Smollett - Rattle, child, is not my real name, but one I'm known by.
— from She Stoops to Conquer; Or, The Mistakes of a Night: A Comedy by Oliver Goldsmith
