Literary notes about near (AI summary)
The word “near” frequently functions as a marker of physical proximity in literary language, while also conveying subtle emotional and symbolic distance. In many narratives it designates an exact place—from a character positioning themselves close to a window [1] or a fire [2], to historical references situating events in well-known locales [3], [4]. At the same time, “near” underlines intimate or relational closeness, whether describing the palpable presence of another [5] or the fleeting moment when one feels another’s nearness in both body and emotion [6]. Thus, “near” operates on multiple registers, anchoring settings and feelings alike across a diverse range of literary constructions.
- He then took up his station near the window and gazed through the foliage.
— from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - Then I strapped my blanket round me, and went to sleep as near the fire as I could.
— from Erewhon; Or, Over the Range by Samuel Butler - He had spent a night near Puteoli (where Cicero also had a villa) with Philippus, the step-father of Octavianus.
— from Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Edmund Luce - 1658 Volcentum was situate near the Silarus, probably on the spot now called Bulcino or Bucino.
— from The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 1 (of 6) by the Elder Pliny - All passion is still in her presence: I cannot express my sensations when I am near her.
— from The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - Her face was near mine: I saw there was pity in it, and I felt sympathy in her hurried breathing.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
