Literary notes about above (AI summary)
The word “above” is used in literature to evoke both physical positions and abstract hierarchies, enriching a text’s spatial and metaphorical layers. In some works it indicates literal placement, as when characters or objects are positioned higher—consider the sundial reference in Sherlock Holmes ([1]) or the rock tumbling from above in Arthur Conan Doyle’s narrative ([2]). In other texts, “above” assumes a symbolic role to denote superiority or precedence; for instance, Shakespeare’s usage to express an elevated state of being ([3]), or to imply moral or intellectual superiority as in Rousseau’s reflection on innate gifts ([4]). Authors also employ “above” to refer back to previous material or concepts—for example, the explicit mentions that direct attention to earlier passages ([5], [6])—thus guiding the reader’s interpretation. This versatile term, therefore, seamlessly links spatial description with abstract comparisons and literary cross-references, highlighting its dynamic function across diverse genres and eras.
- But what is this written above them?’ “ ‘Put the papers on the sundial,’ I read, peeping over his shoulder.
— from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - A huge rock, falling from above, boomed past me, struck the path, and bounded over into the chasm.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness.
— from Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will by William Shakespeare - There is quite another class of exceptions: those so gifted by nature that they rise above the level of their age.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The citation above is a free rendering of the sense of cap.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele - See above p. 37 . 626 .
— from St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon by J. B. Lightfoot
