Literary notes about tried (AI summary)
The word "tried" is remarkably versatile in literature, serving multiple roles depending on context. In its most common usage, it denotes an effort or attempt to perform an action—as seen when a character "tried to climb" a wall ([1]) or "tried to speak" despite inner turmoil ([2]). At times, "tried" extends beyond mere physical attempts to include mental or emotional endeavors, such as trying to overcome sorrow ([3]) or striving to remain true to one's identity ([4]). Additionally, the term takes on a legal connotation in historical and judicial narratives; characters or defendants are "tried" in court to determine guilt or innocence ([5], [6]). Gibbon’s use in examining reputation—"tried by the scrutiny" of actions and peers—further exemplifies how the word encapsulates both testing and proving worth ([7]). This multifaceted deployment underscores the depth and range that a single word can offer in exploring themes of struggle, evaluation, and perseverance across genres.
- He approached the wall, and tried to climb it; but the wall had been recently pointed, and d’Artagnan could get no hold.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Then Raoul tried to speak, to question her, in spite of his promises.
— from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux - “I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - I truly tried to love him, but I couldn't."
— from Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott - Six Jacobins, accounted among the most ferocious of the class, were arrested and delivered up to be tried by a military commission.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - To-morrow he'll be tried, you know.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - His military renown must be tried by the scrutiny of his troops, his enemies, and his actions.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon