Literary notes about sparkle (AI summary)
In literature, the word "sparkle" often conveys both a physical quality of gleaming brilliance and an inner light of emotion or wit. Writers use it to evoke lively imagery—whether describing the glint of water under the sun [1] or the flash of a lively engine starting up with a vigor akin to a spark of life [2]—and to mirror the subtle yet distinct spark in a character’s eyes signaling renewed passion or mischief [3, 4]. At times, it transforms mundane objects into symbols of hidden energy, as when a diamond’s sparkle suggests something precious [5] or ordinary dialogue carries a hint of clever vivacity [6]. This dual use enriches the narrative, allowing "sparkle" to serve as a versatile metaphor for both the tangible and the ineffable.
- The water, however, continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerfully as ever.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne - He climbed down into the car and started the motor with a tremendous sparkle and roar.
— from The Marching Morons by C. M. Kornbluth - Miss Lavendar had complained that she could not feel much interest in anything, but the sparkle came back to her eyes over her pretty dress.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - And yet in the midst of this unbearable grief, flashes of joy seemed to sparkle in my mind, now and again, in a way which quite surprised me.
— from My Reminiscences by Rabindranath Tagore - There, on yonder table, I behold the sparkle of a diamond which once she wore upon her bosom.
— from Twice-told tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne - A popular fellow such as I am—my friends get round me—we chaff, we sparkle, we tell witty stories—and somehow my tongue gets wagging.
— from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
