Literary notes about agency (AI summary)
The word “agency” in literature is a remarkably versatile term that captures both abstract forces and concrete institutional functions. It is often used to denote the power or capacity to bring about change, whether through human intention or as part of natural processes—for instance, authors describe it as an almost irrational strength in an individual’s act [1] or as the creative power behind natural phenomena [2][3]. At the same time, “agency” signifies organized bodies or administrative institutions that execute specific functions in society, such as governmental or news agencies [4][5][6], and even extends into commercial and technological realms [7][8]. This multifaceted usage underscores the term’s ability to bridge the tangible and the metaphysical, making it a rich conceptual tool in literary discourse.
- If any person shoots off a bow, there is always an irrational strength and agency in the act.
— from Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - Realizing that man's body is like an electric battery, I reasoned that it could be recharged with energy through the direct agency of the human will.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - This unconscious process of selection has been the great agency in the formation of the most distinct and useful domestic breeds.
— from The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - Here then is a double security; and it will readily be perceived that this complicated agency tends to preserve the purity of both institutions.
— from The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison - The American news agency Associated Press is an information provider.
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - Scott Truxtun opened a government agency in New York in 1905.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - Moving to Chicago in his early twenties, he worked in an advertising agency where he proved adept at turning out copy.
— from Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life by Sherwood Anderson - So if you're a local, or if you're driving a rental car from a local agency, you've got a FasTrak.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
