Literary notes about context (AI summary)
In literature, "context" is employed as a vital framework that breathes life into words and phrases, revealing their most authentic meanings. Authors argue that a term cannot be fully grasped when isolated from its surrounding textual and cultural environment, a sentiment famously echoed when Tolstoy insists that words lose their essence outside of their context [1]. Furthermore, many thinkers and translators emphasize that meanings are not static; they shift and evolve in response to the immediate linguistic and situational cues, thereby demanding careful interpretation within the broader narrative [2, 3]. This dynamic is evident in critical discussions where the intended sense of a metaphor or a grammatical nuance is illuminated only when the entire discourse is taken into account [4, 5]. Ultimately, whether in probing ancient texts, refining translations, or approaching modern psychological analysis, attention to context remains indispensable for uncovering the layered interconnections that give depth and precision to language [6, 7].
- He did not, and could not, understand the meaning of words apart from their context.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - A sign transfers a meaning ( c ) When a meaning is detached and fixed by a sign, it is possible to use that meaning in a new context and situation.
— from How We Think by John Dewey - The 'meaning' of a word taken thus dynamically in a sentence may be quite different from its meaning when taken statically or without context.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - By the context, he would seem to consider “great spirit” and “virtue” as convertible terms.
— from Bacon's Essays, and Wisdom of the Ancients by Francis Bacon - The relative pronoun may be in any case required by the context, and may represent any of the three persons.
— from A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges by George Martin Lane - These lines, detached from their context, are familiar to everyone; but, in the Tempest , they are dramatic as well as poetical.
— from Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth by A. C. Bradley - The facts had been torn to pieces by being taken out of their context.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey
