Literary notes about stretch (AI summary)
The word “stretch” serves a wide range of functions in literature, oscillating between its literal and figurative senses. In some passages it directs physical action—as in urging a hand or limb to extend, whether to summon creatures or to relieve tired muscles ([1], [2], [3], [4]). In other contexts it signifies an expanse or a continuum, be it of time, space, or ideas, such as when vast stretches of valley or long periods are evoked ([5], [6], [7], [8]). Additionally, “stretch” can carry a metaphorical charge, symbolizing the reach of power, influence, or emotion—from divine intervention to the broadening of one’s spirit ([9], [10], [11]). This multifaceted use highlights the term’s potency as both a physical descriptor and a tool for articulating abstract concepts.
- Stretch forth thy hand upon the streams, and upon the rivers and the pools, and bring forth frogs upon the land of Egypt.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Her legs began to tire and she wanted to get up and stretch.
— from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser - He was capable of standing for hours at a stretch in the same place with his eyes fixed on the same spot without stirring.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Let her play out in th' fresh air skippin' an' it'll stretch her legs an' arms an' give her some strength in 'em.'"
— from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - There was a stretch of level valley with silent farm houses, the occupants all at rest, without trouble, without anxiety.
— from The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner - Canst thou truly look beyond even so vast a stretch of time as—” “Seven hundred years?
— from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain - We looked again, and saw, through the arbor, an endless stretch of garden, and shrubbery, and grassy lawn.
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain - When I left Queen’s my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - This kiss, if it durst speak, Would stretch thy spirits up into the air.
— from The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare - Stretch forth thy hand, thou who art mighty to save to the uttermost, and rescue this lost one.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot - Jesse thought that as the true servant of God the entire stretch of country through which he had walked should have come into his possession.
— from Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life by Sherwood Anderson
