Literary notes about tremor (AI summary)
In literature, the word “tremor” is employed to evoke both subtle physical sensations and deeper emotional undercurrents. It often marks moments when internal states—be they unspoken anguish, hesitant passion, or brewing anger—manifest physically, as in the barely perceptible quiver that betrays a character’s hidden turmoil [1] or the tremulous voice revealing internal conflict [2] and [3]. At other times, it emphasizes the sheer force of agitation or fear, underscoring a body’s involuntary reaction to drastic circumstances [4] and [5]. Even in scenes of restrained elegance, the tremor contributes to a vivid portrayal of a character’s inner life, adding layers of meaning that intensify the narrative’s atmosphere [6] and [7].
- He saw a scarcely perceptible tremor cross her face, and without knowing what he did he stooped his head and kissed the bit of stuff in his hold.
— from Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - "Is it wrong, Jude," she said with a tentative tremor, "for a husband or wife to tell a third person that they are unhappy in their marriage?
— from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - Only the keenest ear could have detected the tremor in the voice as I asked her if she would care to come out for half an hour.
— from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse - Now and then he shivered all over with an agonising, feverish tremor.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Felton became frightfully pale, and a convulsive tremor crept through his whole body.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - She was still in a state of highly-wrought impressionability, and every hint of the past sent a lingering tremor along her nerves.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - For a moment the tremor of his legs caused him to dance a sort of hideous hornpipe.
— from The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane
