Literary notes about sudden (AI summary)
Writers employ "sudden" to evoke moments of abrupt change or realization, creating dramatic shifts in narrative or character psychology. It signals an immediate, often unforeseen development—whether it's the instant reopening of fatigued eyes by a striking idea [1], the flash of dismayed recollection [2], or the unforeseen onset of fear and courageous impulse during critical encounters [3], [4]. The term captures both internal emotional transitions and external events, spanning from the unexpected departure that alters a character's destiny [5] to the instantaneous interruption of a scene that heightens tension [6]. Across diverse genres and eras—from epic poetry to modern novels—the adjective "sudden" consistently underscores the volatile, unpredictable essence of life and narrative, imbuing moments with a sense of urgency and intensity [7], [8].
- Now and then, his eyes, heavy with fatigue, closed for an instant, but some sudden thought reopened them almost immediately.
— from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - Then she had a sudden dismayed recollection.
— from Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery - “I an’t your woman, and I won’t be!” said the woman, with the sharp, sudden courage of despair; “you go long!”
— from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - Sleep was welling up and gripping him again, his head was sinking down upon his knees, when he roused with a sudden start.
— from White Fang by Jack London - Ridgeley came home that night with news of Christopher's sudden departure.
— from The Gay Cockade by Temple Bailey - And then all of a sudden he was interrupted by a noise.
— from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Then cautious through the rocky reaches wind, And turning sudden, shun the death design'd.
— from The Odyssey by Homer - The change I now experienced was as painful as it was sudden and unexpected.
— from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African by Equiano
