Literary notes about riddle (AI summary)
The term "riddle" in literature functions on several levels. At times, it denotes a literal puzzle that characters must solve—a challenge to wit and ingenuity—such as when a clever twist of language invites readers to decode hidden meanings [1, 2, 3]. In other instances, it takes on a metaphorical role, representing the enigmatic nature of life, fate, or the very human condition, where existence itself appears as an unsolvable mystery [4, 5, 6]. This layered usage, evident in both ancient narratives and modern works, highlights the dual nature of the term: one that is as much a call to intellectual challenge as it is a reflection on the perplexing puzzles that life unfailingly presents [7, 8].
- Read then the riddle, thou hard nut-cracker,—the riddle that I am!
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - A stick in his hand, a stone in his throat, If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat. CCXXVIII.
— from The Nursery Rhymes of England - I will set them a riddle, which they will never in this world be able to guess!"
— from Household Tales by Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - The 'Iliad' is only great because all life is a battle, the 'Odyssey' because all life is a journey, the Book of Job because all life is a riddle.
— from The Defendant by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton - A riddle is it still unto me, this dream; the meaning is hidden in it and encaged, and doth not yet fly above it on free pinions.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - He returned thoughtful and confused; the riddle lay heavier than ever on his soul.
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Now, by gold, I think I have fairly solved and resolved your riddle.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais - ‘It’s exactly like a riddle with no answer!’
— from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
