Literary notes about remarked (AI summary)
Across literature, the word "remarked" serves as a versatile dialogue tag and narrative tool that often conveys the tone or attitude of the speaker while smoothly linking their observations or comments to the unfolding story. Authors use it both in straightforward exchanges—as in the casual, teasing tone of dialogue, "Are you bowing to a friend, eh?" [1]—and in more reflective or scholarly contexts, such as when noting a historical or scientific point [2, 3, 4]. It can introduce understated wit or irony, evident in lines where subtle humor or sarcasm is at play [5, 6, 7], and even emphasize introspection or commentary outside of direct dialogue [8, 9]. This broad application of "remarked" underscores its enduring role in creating a conversational rhythm and foreshadowing a character’s intonation or emotional state.
- “Are you bowing to a friend, eh?” remarked another, chaffing a peasant who ducked low as a cannon ball flew over.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - It has been already remarked on Inf. ii. 28 that he draws illustrations from Pagan sources.
— from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri - It has been already remarked, that the degree of fertility, both of first crosses and of hybrids, graduates from zero to perfect fertility.
— from The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - It has already been remarked, that questions of ultimate ends do not admit of proof, in the ordinary acceptation of the term.
— from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill - " "A blush is very becoming, Duchess," remarked Lord Henry.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - “Bonaparte has said so,” remarked Prince Andrew with a sarcastic smile.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - " "What a confounded rage Pitt will be in if he does," Rawdon remarked, with his usual regard for his elder brother.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - He rarely, it is true, remarked on what he read, but I have seen him sit and think of it.
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë - But it exhibits other personal qualities than these, which, if less often remarked, are at any rate unconsciously enjoyed.
— from Boswell's Life of Johnson by James Boswell