Literary notes about recognize (AI summary)
In literature, “recognize” functions both as a tool for literal identification and as a metaphor for deeper understanding. In some works, the term conveys the familiar act of noticing something well known—such as a cherished image or a distinct style ([1], [2])—while in other contexts it marks moments of discrepancy or altered perception, as when a character fails to immediately connect a face with its history ([3], [4]). It is also employed in more abstract or philosophical discourse to denote the acknowledgment of underlying truths or moral responsibilities, urging readers to see past superficial appearances ([5], [6], [7]). Moreover, the word encapsulates a journey toward self-awareness, where characters are compelled to confront and recognize facets of their own identity or transformation ([8], [9], [10]). Whether exchanged in dialogue that underscores social reconnection ([11], [12]) or woven into narrative as reflective insight, “recognize” deepens the interplay between memory, identity, and personal change throughout literary work ([13], [14]).
- Readers will recognize the diagram as a familiar friend of their youth.
— from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney - The church isn't so very good, I'll have to admit, but look at the bridge—any one can recognize the bridge in a minute.
— from The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories by Mark Twain - I followed Desarmoises, and came into a room where I saw a nice-looking woman whom I did not recognize at first.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - Arabella did not recognize him for a moment.
— from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - And also the only real tragedy in life is the being used by personally minded men for purposes which you recognize to be base.
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw - In the absence of any such conclusive evidence we must therefore recognize the existence of other destructive forces at work in the world.
— from Secret societies and subversive movements by Nesta Helen Webster - In the third, moreover, we must recognize another relation which we shall see more clearly and distinctly expressed in the following examples: 4.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - [706] One can readily conceive how, when arrived at this state of exaltation, a man does not recognize himself any longer.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim - Here Edmond was to undergo another trial; he was to find out whether he could recognize himself, as he had not seen his own face for fourteen years.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - my friend, if you had known me as I once was, you would not recognize me in this state of degradation.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - “I recognize you only too well, too well.”
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - I repeat that I recognize him perfectly.’
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - I didn’t recognize [ 338 ] you,—which is easily explained, for you weren’t born when I left the country,—I didn’t recognize you!”
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal - In reality the child at first overestimates his powers and behaves fearlessly because he does not recognize dangers.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
