Literary notes about plethora (AI summary)
The term “plethora” has been employed in literature to capture both the richness and the potential overabundance of elements in a text. For instance, in a poetic and metaphorical vein, Juliette Drouet uses the term to suggest that not only the body but even the soul can possess a vast, multifaceted quantity, infusing her letters with an evocative quality [1]. In contrast, the word also appears in a more technical or editorial context, where it is critiqued for describing an excessive repetition of conjunctive elements—specifically, a “plethora of conjunctive þæt’s” across a passage—highlighting a concern for stylistic precision in the text’s composition [2]. Further, this scrutiny extends to the emendation of specific terms like “gefyldan,” for which an alternative form “gefylde” is proposed, an example that underlines the critical role of language in maintaining balance and clarity [3].