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Literary notes about dedication (AI summary)

The term "dedication" assumes a variety of meanings in literature, from marking solemn ceremonies to serving as a vehicle for personal homage. In some works it denotes the act of consecrating a temple, altar, or monument—a ritual imbued with religious and civic symbolism, as seen in texts referring to temple dedications and altars in sacred narratives [1], [2], [3]. In other writings, it introduces a work or addresses a patron, functioning as a formal preface that both honors a distinguished individual and sets the tone for the text [4], [5], [6]. At times, its use carries a touch of irony or nuanced commentary, as it can subtly reveal the author’s underlying intent or the cultural attitude toward commitment and reverence [7], [8]. This multifaceted usage enriches literary discourse by layering the literal act of dedication with metaphorical significance and historical context.
  1. And it was the feast of the dedication at Jerusalem: and it was winter.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  2. A psalm of a canticle, at the dedication of David's house.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  3. Numbers Chapter 7 The offerings of the princes at the dedication of the tabernacle.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  4. I wrote, DEDICATION TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS DEAD.
    — from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
  5. But I had a preface to write, and a dedication, which I wished to make a splendid one, to Mr. Ricardo.
    — from Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey
  6. BOOK I: Letter to Sir Walter Raleigh Sonnet to Sir Walter Raleigh Dedication to Queen Elizabeth
    — from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I by Edmund Spenser
  7. The day after the dedication of the bridge, I greedily snatched up the local Messenger, and looked for myself in it.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  8. You are rapt, sir, in some work, some dedication To the great lord.
    — from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

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