Literary notes about relinquishing (AI summary)
In literature, "relinquishing" is deployed to evoke the poignant act of letting go, whether it be a physical release or an internal, emotional surrender. At times, authors capture the moment of physically unburdening oneself—as when a character lets go of another's hand or an object, symbolizing a tangible separation ([1], [2], [3]). In other instances the word signifies deeper, introspective farewells, marking the abandonment of past selves, fading dreams, or relinquished authority, as seen when a protagonist renounces control or emotional ties in the face of change ([4], [5], [6]). This layered usage highlights the bittersweet process of transformation, capturing both the pain and the necessity inherent in giving up what once was in order to embrace what is to come ([7], [8], [9]).
- Then, after a short pause, the Missionary extended his hand to raise her; but suddenly relinquishing the trembling form he supported, he moved away.
— from The Missionary: An Indian Tale; vol. II by Lady (Sydney) Morgan - He paused, gently relinquishing his hold upon Bertrand's wrist, and got up to pour something out of a bottle on the mantelpiece into a medicine-glass.
— from The Rocks of Valpré by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell - for the one bare arm was relinquishing its hold on the tree.
— from The Girl Scouts at Bellaire; Or, Maid Mary's Awakening by Lilian Garis - I am often confronted by the necessity of standing by one of my empirical selves and relinquishing the rest.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - Then, as if relinquishing hope, he sighed again and fell listlessly to regarding himself in the mirror.
— from The Firebrand by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett - General Howe, to avoid being intercepted, found himself under the necessity of relinquishing his project and returning to a place of security.
— from The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 by J. F. (Joseph Florimond) Loubat - it rather was a relinquishing of herself wholly to Fate—an abandon.
— from The Sentimental Adventures of Jimmy Bulstrode by Marie Van Vorst - In the act of relinquishing Natalie, he felt, what he would not have supposed possible, a great, added tenderness for her.
— from Two on the Trail: A Story of the Far Northwest by Hulbert Footner - Freedom—independence of the laws of nature—is certainly a deliverance from restraint, but it is also a relinquishing of the guidance of law and rule.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
