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Literary notes about towards (AI summary)

The word "towards" functions as a flexible tool in literature, serving not only to indicate physical movement or spatial orientation but also to convey emotional attitudes and abstract progress. Authors frequently use it in the literal sense—directing a character's movement or gaze, as in when all eyes are turned in a particular direction ([1], [2], [3], [4]) or when a character moves from one place to another ([5], [6]). At the same time, "towards" is employed to express sentiments or stances, highlighting relationships and feelings between characters or towards institutions, as evident in passages that describe respect, bias, or affection ([7], [8], [9], [10]). Moreover, in more conceptual contexts, the term conveys advancement or an inherent aim, such as a journey towards perfection or unity ([11], [12]). This multifaceted usage enriches the narrative by intricately linking physical direction with emotional and philosophical dimensions.
  1. " All eyes were for a moment turned towards Will, who said, coolly, "Five pounds."
    — from Middlemarch by George Eliot
  2. The count advanced, smiling, into the centre of the room, and approached Albert, who hastened towards him holding out his hand in a ceremonial manner.
    — from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  3. apoplexy!”—and with these cries, she ran towards the kitchen, I following.
    — from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville
  4. He advanced towards it trembling.
    — from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
  5. And he said to his servant: Go up, and look towards the sea.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  6. Recovering myself, I advanced towards the screen, and demanded the reason for such extraordinary conduct.
    — from Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville
  7. Nor was he more mild or respectful in his behaviour towards the senate.
    — from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius
  8. My heart is still with the people; but I don't deny that my reason has a certain bias towards the authorities—the local ones, I mean.
    — from An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
  9. But presently he felt her warm cheek against his own, and knew that, at all events, there was nothing very alarming in her attitude towards his news.
    — from The Forsyte Saga, Volume I. by John Galsworthy
  10. He was indulgent towards God’s creation.
    — from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  11. "Always towards perfection is the mighty movement—towards a complete development and a more unmixed good.
    — from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park
  12. The long vacation saunters on towards term-time like an idle river very leisurely strolling down a flat country to the sea.
    — from Bleak House by Charles Dickens

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