Literary notes about pensive (AI summary)
The term “pensive” is employed by many authors to evoke a quiet, introspective state that borders on melancholy or thoughtful reverie. In some texts, it portrays a profound inner reflection that casts characters into a solemn mood, as when a figure remains silent for days while battling inner turmoil [1] or when one’s eyes are described as “fine pensive” to suggest an unspoken depth of feeling [2]. Other works use the word to enhance the lyrical quality of nature or setting, intertwining gentle contemplation with the beauty of a scene [3][4]. At times, “pensive” marks a subtle shift in character, signaling an abrupt pause in conversation or action as introspection takes hold [5][6]. This layered use allows the term to capture the complexity of human emotion and the quiet, sometimes sorrowful moments of reflection that many literary figures experience.
- Then he remained pensive for three days, and uttered not a word.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - she said, lifting her fine pensive eyes.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - " He said: deep silence held the Grecian band; Silent, unmov'd in dire dismay they stand; A pensive scene!
— from The Iliad by Homer - While the long coast in echo sweet replies, Thy soothing strains the pensive heart beguile, And bid the visions of the future smile, O nymph!
— from The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe - “I may well be pensive and heavy,” he replied, “for here even now I have seen the strangest sight I ever saw.”
— from The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights by Sir James Knowles and Sir Thomas Malory - "The next day," Christine continued, with a sigh, "I went back to my dressing-room in a very pensive frame of mind.
— from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
