Literary notes about companion (AI summary)
Writers employ the word "companion" to evoke a range of relational nuances—from the trusted advisor or inseparable friend to a fellow traveler in both literal and metaphorical journeys. In some works, it highlights intimate bonds and mutual support, as seen when a character finds both solace and duty in a close confidante ([1], [2]). In other texts, the term carries martial or mythic overtones, identifying partners in arms or allegorical figures associated with legendary figures ([3], [4]). Often, authors use "companion" to underscore a character’s emotional landscape or to signal a shared destiny, thereby enriching the narrative with layers of loyalty, dependence, and sometimes even irony ([5], [6], [7]). This multifaceted usage illustrates how the word bridges personal interaction and grand thematic design, lending depth and subtlety to literary expression ([8], [9]).
- Has she no other companion or advisor?’ ‘No,’ he returned, looking anxiously in my face, ‘no, and she wants no other.’
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - Yet you must die; you, my playfellow, my companion, my more than sister.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Fitela , the son and nephew of the Wälsing, Sigemund, and his companion in arms, 876-890 .
— from I. Beówulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh: a fragment. - There is the same variety of sentiment about Silenus, the companion of Bacchus.
— from A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume 1 (of 6) by Jacob Bryant - We see how we can attend to a companion's voice in the midst of noises which pass unnoticed though objectively much louder than the words we hear.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - “‘Hem!’ cried the right foot, who appeared to be the spokesman, clearing his throat and turning to his companion—‘hem!
— from Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, August 7, 1841 by Various - As soon as a man needs a companion he is no longer an isolated creature, his heart is no longer alone.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - But the abbé, though he evidently enjoyed the beauty of his companion, was absorbed in his mastery of the matter.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - “You wonder,” said my companion, “why it is that Mycroft does not use his powers for detective work.
— from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle