Literary notes about unexpected (AI summary)
In literature, “unexpected” serves as a signal of sudden shifts—whether in tone, plot, or character emotion. Its use frequently marks moments when the ordinary is disrupted, as when a character reacts with surprise at a sudden revelation [1] or experiences an unforeseen turnaround in circumstances that challenges their expectations [2]. The term can be employed to heighten tension in battle scenes [3] or to underscore the emotional impact of an unforeseen event on an individual’s inner life [4]. In historical narratives it even denotes abrupt political or social change [5], showing how the word guides readers into recognizing that the familiar is about to be transformed by the unforeseen [6].
- "Well," I replied, "that is very unexpected.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow - She was a little flurried by the unexpected visit, and the schoolmaster was not at his ease.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - With twenty horse to second his designs, An unexpected foe, he fac’d the lines.
— from The Aeneid by Virgil - This unexpected and piteous exclamation, almost a sob, was almost more than one could bear.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - But our hopes were blasted by an unexpected disavowal of the agreement, and an unqualified refusal to fulfil its stipulations on the part of England.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - On the very day of my coming home from Longbourn, your uncle had a most unexpected visitor.
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
