Literary notes about tinkle (AI summary)
The word "tinkle" is often employed to evoke a refined and delicate auditory quality that permeates a scene with atmosphere and subtle emotion. It is used to describe the soft, often unexpected sound of bells or metal—a fleeting, twinkling chime that can evoke both whimsy and melancholy. In some works, the tinkle of bells establishes a magical or otherworldly ambiance, as when a single bell sounds to signify an entrance into a realm of dreams or mystery [1], while in other narratives it underscores moments of quiet tension or transition by marking shifts in time or mood [2], [3]. At times, the term even carries playful or ironic overtones when applied to everyday sounds, lending a musical quality to the prose and inviting readers into a world replete with sensory nuance [4], [5].
- 'The only sound I hear,' said Wendy, 'is like a tinkle of bells.'
— from Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie - He had forgotten the note of that bell, and now its peculiar tinkle seemed to remind him of something and to bring it clearly before him....
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - And that came to an abrupt end with the tinkle of a clock sounding the hour.
— from What Will People Say? A Novel by Rupert Hughes - "'She's ever the friend o' maids,' says I. "'An' the tinkle of a goat's bell on Lookout.
— from Harbor Tales Down NorthWith an Appreciation by Wilfred T. Grenfell, M.D. by Norman Duncan - Someone coming,” he thought, catching the tinkle of bells, and lifting his head.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
