Literary notes about size (AI summary)
The word "size" in literature is remarkably versatile, functioning both as a literal measure of physical dimensions and as a metaphor for qualitative differences. In some contexts, authors use "size" to detail and compare tangible characteristics—as when precise measurements of objects and features are given in works such as [1], [2], and [3], or when the smallness or enormity of creatures and artifacts is carefully noted, as in descriptions of a thimble-sized mouse [4], a whale-bone skirt [5], or even mythic beings that encircle the earth [6]. Meanwhile, "size" also conveys abstract ideas, serving as a metaphor for importance or impact: philosophical distinctions are drawn by considering the "size of the difference" [7], and unexpected dramatic effects are achieved by surprising the reader with the sheer scale of a conscience or a natural feature [8], [9]. This dual usage, extending from practical measurement to symbolic weight, demonstrates literature’s love for playing with scale to enrich narrative and argument.
- I took this animal to be about the Size of the barking Squirel of the Missouri.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - 1. 17 cm Naples 2. 9 cm ,5 Author’s 3. 8 cm Naples 4. 6 cm Guildhall 5. 6 cm ,9 Author’s 6. 15 cm Naples Plate XXVII Size of originals.
— from Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times by John Stewart Milne - 1. 12 cm British 2. 7 cm ,5 " 3. 13 cm ,2 " 4. 14 cm " 5. 10 cm " Plate XXIII Size of originals.
— from Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times by John Stewart Milne - A neat little mouse, the size of a thimble, was sniffing the wires and trembling with fear.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - I will not let you have any whale-bone skirts of the present fashionable size!
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - But the monster has grown to such an enormous size that, holding his tail in his mouth, he encircles the whole earth.
— from The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson by Sæmundur fróði - It is not only the size of the difference which concerns the philosopher, but also its place and its kind.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James - I always keep my conscience as tight shut up as a jack-in-a-box, for when it jumps into existence it surprises me by its size.
— from North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - And above us the hole open upon the sky grew smaller and smaller, till it came to be the size of a button.
— from Anthem by Ayn Rand
