Literary notes about trembling (AI summary)
In literature, trembling operates on multiple levels to evoke both physical and emotional states. It often signifies intense fear, vulnerability, or excitement by portraying characters whose bodies betray inner turmoil—as when a character’s hands or lips tremble in moments of anguish or suspense ([1], [2], [3], [4]). At the same time, trembling is used to animate settings and natural phenomena, capturing the delicate, shifting beauty of the world around us, such as the subtle quiver of a river’s edge or the earth itself ([5], [6]). This dual usage enriches narrative by linking the physical expression of emotion with the external movement of nature, deepening the reader’s sense of immediacy and connection to both inner and outer worlds ([7], [8]).
- She was a complete slave and went in fear and trembling of her sister, who made her work day and night, and even beat her.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - ‘It’s not the first loss I have had in my life, Mr. Murdstone,’ replied Peggotty, trembling from head to foot.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - “What then?” asked Hermine, trembling violently.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Tom obeyed, with some trembling; it was the first time his father had recognized him.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - And nearer to the river's trembling edge There grew broad flag-flowers, purple prankt with white, And starry river buds among the sedge.
— from Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway - Dispelled by thee the doom that spread Through trembling earth and heaven is fled.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - A trembling joy, lambent as a faint light, played like a fairy host around him.
— from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce - Soon as thy Letters, trembling, I unclose, That well-known name awakens all my woes.
— from Letters of Abelard and Heloise by Peter Abelard and Héloïse
