Literary notes about swarm (AI summary)
In literature, "swarm" is employed to evoke imagery of abundant, often overwhelming clusters that animate both the physical and the abstract. It may describe a literal multitude—such as buzzing insects that fill the air, evoking an almost tangible menace or unstoppable energy [1][2][3]—or a throng of human activity, where groups converge with both purpose and chaos, like crowds moving towards an inn or office-seekers in a town [4][5][6]. The term also lends itself to metaphorical uses, capturing the restless surge of thoughts or emotions that seem to gather and disperse with a life of their own [7][8]. Whether in epic poetry or reflective narratives, "swarm" underscores a dynamic movement and multiplicity that mirror nature’s unpredictability and the fervor of human endeavor.
- Once the story gets out, the river will crawl with expeditions and the airships rise like a swarm of mosquitoes.”
— from Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - No sooner had God uttered these words than the particles of sand became a mighty swarm of locusts, that flew in all directions.
— from Filipino Popular Tales - Forthwith there was heard a great buzzing in the air, and a swarm of black bees came flying towards her.
— from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - The entire swarm moved once more in the direction of the inn.
— from My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner - In busier periods of the year these bills disappear, and the houses swarm with legislators.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - The town began to swarm with office-seekers, among whom a young writer was lost.
— from The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams - My wife is in agony; I need the money; give it me!” A swarm of ideas flared up in Lyamshin’s crafty mind like a shower of fireworks.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I spoke then readily: but a swarm of thoughts I had not anticipated nor invoked, rose dim at the words, making me sigh involuntarily.
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë
