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Literary notes about bespoke (AI summary)

The term "bespoke" in literature is frequently used to suggest that something—whether an action, a gesture, or a feature—is actively revealing or indicative of a deeper quality. Authors employ the word to imply that a character’s appearance or behavior subtly declares an inner emotion or inherent trait; for instance, a care-worn expression might silently communicate a state of anxious solicitude [1], while a brisk pace might hint at the urgency or importance of information [2]. In other contexts, physical attributes or even simple orders reveal an underlying character or circumstance—such as a noble bearing subtly recalling chivalric ideals [3] or a custom request hinting at an individualized service [4]. In each instance, "bespoke" allows readers to infer meaning that lies beneath the surface of the narrative.
  1. Every line of her good, but rather care-worn, face bespoke an anxious solicitude about everybody and everything except herself.
    — from Nature's Serial Story by Edward Payson Roe
  2. His very speed bespoke the importance of his information.
    — from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
  3. He had not the chivalrous ardour which bespoke the nobles of France, nor the stately magnificence of their haughty sovereign.
    — from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 373, November 1846 by Various
  4. The owner of one steam launch, who had bespoke six copies, rescinded the order on seeing the negative.
    — from Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome

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