Literary notes about reminiscence (AI summary)
The term "reminiscence" is deployed in literature with a remarkable breadth, functioning both as a philosophical concept and as a vehicle for evoking nostalgia. In early philosophical texts, it is used to suggest that learning is merely the soul's recovery of eternal truths, a notion that Plato famously expounds in his discussions on the pre-existence of the soul [1, 2, 3]. Later literary works repurpose the word to capture the bittersweet quality of personal memory—conjuring images of childhood, lost eras, or even historical echoes that resurface in the present [4, 5, 6]. Additionally, some authors employ "reminiscence" to indicate indirect allusions to myth or cultural heritage, adding layers of meaning to their narratives [7, 8]. Across these varied contexts, the word enriches the text by linking individual recollections to universal themes of history and identity.
- These were revealed to men in a former state of existence, and are recovered by reminiscence (anamnesis) or association from sensible things.
— from Meno by Plato - The main character of the Dialogue is Socrates; but to the 'general definitions' of Socrates is added the Platonic doctrine of reminiscence.
— from Meno by Plato - This is reminiscence: just as any one, seeing Simmias, is often reminded of Cebes, and so in an infinite number of similar instances."
— from Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Socrates by Plato - Its instability startled me extremely, and I had a queer reminiscence of the childish days when I used to be forbidden to meddle.
— from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells - H2 anchor Warble for Lilac-Time Warble me now for joy of lilac-time, (returning in reminiscence,)
— from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman - Both men had simultaneously a reminiscence of childhood, of the elfin and adventurous time when tall weeds close over us like woods.
— from The innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton - The strains of the polonaise, which had continued for a considerable time, had begun to sound like a sad reminiscence to Natásha’s ears.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - For the legend of Busiris seems to preserve a reminiscence of human sacrifices once offered by the Egyptians in connexion with the worship of Osiris.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer