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Literary notes about of (AI summary)

The preposition "of" is a remarkably versatile tool in literature, used to denote relationships ranging from simple possession to more abstract connections. In historical narratives, "of" specifies lineage and ownership, as seen when Fitzgerald is identified as "2nd son of Charles Fitzgerald, of Turlough Park" [1] and when estates or inheritances are discussed [2]. Poets and novelists employ "of" to imbue their writing with lyrical qualities—for example, describing "the dwelling of the Dead" to evoke a somber atmosphere [3] or pondering "the object of all possible experience" to explore cosmic ideas [4]. Meanwhile, in everyday descriptive prose, "of" links concrete details like "a man of genuine worth" [5] or "a pot of yellow paint" [6], grounding their narratives in tangible reality. Thus, whether used to establish ownership, contextual relationships, or to weave abstract imagery, "of" remains a small word with significant literary heft.
  1. Fitzgerald, K.H., 2nd son of Charles Fitzgerald, of Turlough Park, Castlebar, was bn.
    — from The Waterloo Roll Call by Charles Dalton
  2. The husband is allowed to take possession of her estates, as the law has proclaimed her legally dead.
    — from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I
  3. Dark is the dwelling of the Dead, And sad their house of rest: Low lies the head, by Death's cold arms In awful fold embrac'd.
    — from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns
  4. The object of all possible experience being the world, it is called the cosmological proof.
    — from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
  5. He is a man of genuine worth, and neither a disappointed candidate for Government employ nor a briefless barrister.
    — from The Hungry Stones, and Other Stories by Rabindranath Tagore
  6. Near it stood a pot of yellow paint and a brush.
    — from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain

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