Literary notes about whether (AI summary)
The word "whether" in literature is frequently used as a conjunction to introduce alternatives or express uncertainty, thereby enriching the text with a subtle layer of ambiguity or deliberation. For instance, in philosophical inquiries such as Plato’s in [1] or Kant’s discussions in [2] and [3], "whether" sets up conditions that invite readers to ponder deeper metaphysical or ethical questions. Similarly, novelists like Tolstoy in [4] and Dickens in [5] and [6] use it to signal alternative courses of action or to underscore internal or situational doubt about outcomes. In works ranging from classical texts to modern narratives—like Don Quixote [7] or The Pickwick Papers [8]—the term serves to highlight the pivotal choices characters face or the inherent uncertainty in human endeavors. This usage allows authors to present multiple possibilities simultaneously, prompting readers to engage actively with the narrative’s unfolding themes and the complexity of decision-making.
- Take the words in your precise sense, and tell me whether I am not right.
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - Whether it is also more beautiful may in some of these cases be doubted (since so many different kinds of satisfaction cross one another).
— from Kant's Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant - Whether the soul is or is not a simple substance, is of no consequence to us in the explanation of its phenomena.
— from Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant - And besides, the fate of the Fatherland did not depend on whether they took the Saltánov dam or not, as we are told was the case at Thermopylae.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - And whether you have astonished them, and made them shrink in their shoes, or not?’ ‘Go on to the next one, my dear Pugstyles,’ said Mr. Gregsbury.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - You don’t seem quite to have made up your mind whether it’s a case for a policeman or a clergyman.”
— from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - What impelled him to this step we know not, whether it was distaste for the career before him, or purely military enthusiasm.
— from Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra - ‘I never could find out, gentlemen, whether Tom did or did not kiss the widow at that particular moment.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens