Literary notes about few (AI summary)
In literature, the word “few” is often employed as a precise quantifier that conveys not just numerical scarcity but also an emotional or dramatic nuance. Authors use “few” to denote a small, countable number—as seen when noting that “few flowering plants extend above 10,000 feet” ([1]) or when describing moments that last “a few minutes” ([2], [3])—and to underscore a sense of limitation or selectivity, such as with “few additional experiences” becoming clear ([4]) or characters uttering “a few words” that carry significant weight ([5], [6]). Moreover, “few” appears in diverse contexts, from indicating sparse natural or human elements in landscapes and society ([7], [8], [9]) to stressing the brief duration of events that leave a lasting impression ([10], [11], [12]). This careful selection of “few” reflects the author's intent to weave precision, mood, and sometimes irony into the narrative fabric of their work.
- Few flowering plants extend above 10,000 feet, but they have been found as high as 12,000 feet.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - The light which had burned for a few minutes in the deserted cabin was quenched suddenly.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - After a few minutes my feet were free.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - A few additional experiences will now be perfectly clear.
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - He carefully chose these few.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - "Agreed," said Cathcart, always a man of few words.
— from The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood - Among the extremely few respects in which human history shows unquestionable growth we must include the degree and range of self-consciousness.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - Beyond those fields, a few hundred paces distant, rose the outskirts of a great forest, stretching far away over a gently undulating country.
— from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass - Of 600,000 men, few escaped to tell the tale of slaughter.
— from The Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole - In a few moments the voices were silent, and there was no sound of footstep, and the inner light went out.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - Elinor for a few moments remained silent.
— from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - She was silent for a few moments; her next remark showed that she had been struggling with mental arithmetic.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda