Literary notes about thunderstruck (AI summary)
In literature, the word "thunderstruck" is employed to convey a sudden and overwhelming shock that renders characters momentarily speechless or immobilized. Authors use it to depict both emotional and physical astonishment, as when a character is stunned into inaction after an unexpected announcement [1, 2], or when a dramatic event leaves one utterly incapable of rational thought [3, 4]. It often serves as a vivid metaphor in moments of great revelation or crisis, intensifying the impact of key scenes by highlighting the disruptive force of unforeseen happenings [5, 6, 7, 8]. This layered connotation enriches narrative tension and deepens reader engagement with the character's inner experience [9, 10].
- I was quite thunderstruck at this abrupt and unexpected declaration.
— from Evelina, Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World by Fanny Burney - However, I am quite thunderstruck at the news.”
— from Chicot the Jester by Alexandre Dumas - The man was thunderstruck and could hardly speak, but at last he stammered out: “What are you saying?
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - “Thunderstruck at this disappointment, I could not, for some minutes, utter one syllable.
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. Smollett - Thunderstruck with my evil fortune I called a coach, and drove to my husband's lodgings, where I found him waiting the event of his letter.
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. Smollett - I was thunderstruck, for such a thing as a patient getting of his own accord into the Superintendent’s study is almost unknown.
— from Dracula by Bram Stoker - Gringoire fell backwards, quite thunderstruck with joy.
— from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo - Villefort, thunderstruck, fell upon his knees; the child dropped from his arms, and rolled on the floor by the side of its mother.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - I was thunderstruck: I placed a piece of money in her hand, and hastened away.
— from The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - I was thunderstruck that Mrs. Benson did not shriek with agony, it did seem such a large thing to thrust right into her belly.
— from The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel by Anonymous
