Literary notes about stunned (AI summary)
In literature, the term "stunned" is employed to convey both physical and emotional shock, capturing moments when characters are rendered momentarily immobile or overwhelmed. It vividly describes reactions to sudden blows or events—such as being struck by an unexpected impact that leaves one dazed and speechless [1], [2]—as well as the internal turmoil that follows a profound personal loss or revelation [3], [4]. The word often serves as a bridge between the external action and the inner world of the character, underscoring a temporary suspension of thought or movement [5], [6]. Whether used to depict a physical incapacitation after a harsh strike or an emotional paralysis in the face of astonishing news, "stunned" powerfully enlivens narrative moments by adding nuance to the character’s psychological state [7], [8].
- Stunned by the blow, she did not utter a sound, but sat down, and her nose instantly began bleeding.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - The suddenness of the blow had stunned him.
— from Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. Braddon - I was still giddy with the shock of my mother’s death, and in a kind of stunned state as to all tributary things.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - New ideas had burst upon her like a thunderclap, and by them and by their reverberations she had been stunned.
— from Howards End by E. M. Forster - In silence we waited for the outcome of this scene; Conseil, in spite of himself, seemed almost fascinated, I was stunned.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - For a moment the concussion stunned him.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - More stunned than afraid, we stood mute and motionless.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - His lips moved, but he did not say anything, he only looked dazed and stunned, and his face turned very white.
— from The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories by Mark Twain
