Literary notes about contact (AI summary)
The term "contact" assumes a rich variety of meanings in literature, often shaping a bridge between the tangible and the abstract. In autobiographical and sociological works, it frequently signifies transformative encounters or the initiation of interaction between people, as when an individual meets influential personalities or adapts to new environments [1, 2]. In philosophical and religious texts, it connotes a metaphysical connection—an intimate engagement between the finite and the infinite or with profound ideas, as illustrated by the act of prayer serving to unite earthly thought with celestial realms [3, 4]. Meanwhile, in scientific and technical discourses, "contact" is employed quite literally, denoting the specific point where objects or surfaces come together, as with metal components or bodily sensations [5, 6]. Across these varied contexts, the word enriches narratives by imbuing physical encounters with layered emotional, intellectual, and even metaphysical resonance.
- I derived a great deal of benefit from the studies which I pursued, and I came into contact with some strong men and women.
— from Up from Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington - She was reluctant to take the cruel step of finding work, for she shrank with extreme sensitiveness and shyness from new contact, new situations.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - But the first stage of contact with any new material, at whatever age of maturity, must inevitably be of the trial and error sort.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey - To place the infinity here below in contact, by the medium of thought, with the infinity on high, is called praying.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - Acetylene mixed with air and brought in contact with an ignited body explodes even more violently than a mixture of air and coal-gas.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - You must observe, in the first place, that the effect of this tendency is gradually to bring all bodies that are in contact to the same temperature.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
