Literary notes about sample (AI summary)
The term "sample" wears many hats in literature, serving as both a concrete specimen and a metaphorical exemplar. In the realm of poetry and playful prose, authors like Toru Dutt and Gertrude Stein manipulate the term to evoke a small but potent slice of a broader essence ([1], [2]), hinting at deeper, sometimes ironic meanings. In more technical or analytical writing, as seen in Freud’s and Ukers’s works, "sample" refers to a measured portion subjected to examination or testing ([3], [4]), underscoring its role in scientific and methodological discourse. Moreover, in narrative fiction, "sample" is often used to represent a typical instance or model—Jane Austen’s remark about the metropolis being “a pretty fair sample” encapsulates a broader social commentary ([5]), while other texts employ it to suggest a representative drawing from a larger reality ([6], [7]). In all these varied contexts, the word functions as a bridge between the part and the whole, inviting readers to consider both the significance of the minute and its reflection of a much larger system.
- Worried and almost in a rage, One magic shaft at last he sent, A sample of his science sage, To quiet but the noises meant.
— from Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan by Toru Dutt - A winning of all the blessings, a sample not a sample because there is no worry.
— from Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein - From this weighed sample certain definite conclusions can be drawn.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - Express the result as the number of cc. of N/10 alkali required to neutralize the acidity of 100 grams of the sample.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - “The metropolis, I imagine, is a pretty fair sample of the rest.”
— from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - This to him represented in part high life—a fair sample of what the whole must be.
— from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser - With his collar turned up, his shiny, seedy coat, his red cravat, and his worn boots, he was a perfect sample of the class.
— from Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle