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Literary notes about thud (AI summary)

The word "thud" is used to conjure a vivid auditory impact, evoking both physical force and deep emotional resonance. In classic literature, its usage ranges from the quiet pounding of a heart to the resounding impact of physical blows or falling bodies, intensifying dramatic moments. For instance, it underscores the anxious pulse of a character in battle ([1]) and the pounding rhythm of a horse’s gallop ([2]). At times, the word serves to punctuate a suspenseful silence, as when a sudden hit shatters the stillness of a room ([3]), while in other contexts it lends a touch of dark humor or irony to a scene ([4], [5]). Whether marking the cadence of a ship’s engine or accentuating the shock of an unexpected downfall ([6], [7]), "thud" enriches the narrative by bridging sound with emotion, leaving readers with a tangible sense of the moment’s weight and urgency ([8], [9]).
  1. His hand trembled as he gave his horse into an orderly’s charge, and he felt the blood rush to his heart with a thud.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
  2. he thought, catching the thud of Gladiator’s hoofs behind him.
    — from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
  3. At the same instant there was a heavy thud, which shook the old house, and then all was silence.
    — from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
  4. Still no sound, except a little thud from Tootles as he dropped on his knees.
    — from Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
  5. “I’d rather walk calmly along and do without both flying and thud.
    — from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
  6. Thud , thud , thud , went the steady screw of the steamer.
    — from Bliss, and other stories by Katherine Mansfield
  7. But now from somewhere among the broken ground immediately in front of us there came one last despairing yell, and then a dull, heavy thud.
    — from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
  8. With the thud the shriek ended, and a boiling confusion of smoke, dust, and flame came rushing up towards him.
    — from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells
  9. Then there was the thud of a second blow, a third, then a fourth, all on the cheek.
    — from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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