Literary notes about showcase (AI summary)
In literature, "showcase" is versatile in its use, often referring to a literal display case that holds prized or eye‐catching objects, thereby imbuing a scene with a sense of careful presentation and value—as in depictions of museum pieces or storefront glass cases that exhibit jewelry and cigars [1, 2, 3, 4]. At the same time, the term can extend beyond its physical meaning to offer a metaphorical stage on which characters or talents are prominently featured, suggesting both literal and symbolic exposure, such as when a dramatic venue is portrayed as a platform for experienced actors or when a character is subtly highlighted as a person of interest [5, 6]. This dual function deepens the narrative, allowing the author to shift between tangible descriptions of environments and more abstract commentaries on style, prominence, or social standing.
- Could that same object seen occasionally in a museum showcase afford me any comparable pleasure?
— from The Collectors Being Cases mostly under the Ninth and Tenth Commandments by Frank Jewett Mather - In the front of the place was a glass showcase filled with cheap cigars.
— from The Ocean Wireless Boys on the Atlantic by John Henry Goldfrap - In the front of the store was a showcase with cheap jewelry.
— from Warren Commission (01 of 26): Hearings Vol. I (of 15) by United States. Warren Commission - A beautiful showcase, of white and gold, ornaments the room, and in it are the white and gold editions of Mrs. Eddy's works.
— from The Church of St. Bunco A Drastic Treatment of a Copyrighted Religion-- Un-Christian Non-Science by Gordon Clark - The off-Broadway plays are a good showcase for experienced actors, too, you know.
— from Peggy Finds the Theatre by Virginia Hughes - The seventeenth-century character is too often merely a showcase for the writer's wit.
— from A Critical Essay on Characteristic-WritingsFrom his translation of The Moral Characters of Theophrastus (1725) by Henry Gally
