Definitions Related words Phrases (New!) Mentions Lyrics History Colors (New!)

Literary notes about form (AI summary)

The word “form” in literature functions as a flexible and multifaceted term, serving to describe everything from physical shape to abstract structure and even stylistic conventions. In some texts, it conveys tangible architectural or natural attributes—as when Gibbon depicts a quadrangular structure with towers ([1]) or Gilman presents a granite protrusion in solid form ([2]). In other instances, “form” assumes a metaphorical or symbolic quality, capturing dynamic, transformative states like the “living form” that greets the observer with indescribable joy ([3]) or the mutable appearance of deities and heroes ([4], [5]). Philosophical and political writings also employ “form” to denote the underlying structure of ideas or institutions, evident in discussions of the abstract frameworks of reason ([6], [7]) and the organizational patterns of government ([8], [9]). Thus, across genres and contexts—from physical descriptions to the examination of abstract principles—the concept of “form” shapes and informs the way writers articulate both the seen and the unseen.
  1. The form was quadrangular, flanked with sixteen towers.
    — from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
  2. Granite protruded in a solid Form.
    — from Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  3. Gradually it changed into a living form, smilingly nodding in greeting, thrilling me with joy indescribable.
    — from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
  4. Hari assumed a wonderful and extraordinary form.
    — from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
  5. Seeing his chance, the real king left the dog’s body and resumed his original form.
    — from Filipino Popular Tales
  6. The principle of sufficient reason has here also a special form.
    — from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer
  7. The judgement of taste has nothing at its basis but the form of the purposiveness of an object (or of its mode of representation) 69 § 12.
    — from Kant's Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant
  8. A judge, with six 'jurats', chosen by the people for life, and twelve 'douzainiers', representatives of the people, form a kind of local legislature.
    — from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various
  9. It is needless to observe that I speak here of the democratic form of government as applied to a people, not merely to a tribe.
    — from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Help


Threepeat

Find common ground

Play Now

Compound Your Joy

Find connection

Play Now

Pandergram

Foster inclusion

Play Now