Literary notes about read (AI summary)
The word “read” appears in literature with a remarkable range of meanings. It can denote the simple act of deciphering words on a page—as when a character discovers new information during a journey ([1]) or peruses a historical record ([2], [3])—yet it often carries a deeper, symbolic resonance. Characters sometimes read aloud to stir emotions or share sentiments, whether reciting a poem that moves a listener ([4]) or reading a touching narrative with intonation that brings its content to life ([5]). In other instances, “read” suggests the careful interpretation of texts that reveal hidden truths about human nature or history ([6], [7]), while it can also hint at the technical act of accessing information, as in the case of permissions in computing contexts ([8]). This multiplicity of uses underscores the word’s versatility, serving both as a literal description of engaging with written language and as a metaphor for understanding and expression.
- I knew nothing of this affair until I was in the train, when I read what you have just heard.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - We read in John Villani that in the middle of the year 1326 the Cardinal Gianni Orsini came to Florence as Papal Legate and Pacificator of Tuscany.
— from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri - In the churchwardens’ account books of the period we read of sundry sales of church plate.
— from English Villages by P. H. Ditchfield - I have just read your poem to Madame Lanvin; she was deeply moved.
— from Juliette Drouet's Love-Letters to Victor Hugo by Juliette Drouet and Louis Guimbaud - She then read aloud, in a soft voice, and with a beauty of intonation that was peculiar, that touching account of anguish and of glory.
— from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - To read this remarkable writing we need the spectacles of Faith, which seldom suit eyes accustomed to the Microscope.
— from The King James Version of the Bible - Yet those same bleared optics had a strange, penetrating power, when it was their owner's purpose to read the human soul.
— from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Here you've subtracted ( - ) read permission ( r ) from the group ( g ) owning the file and from everyone else (others, o ).
— from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
