Literary notes about steady (AI summary)
In literature, the term "steady" functions as a versatile marker of unwavering constancy and reliability. It is used to depict natural rhythms, as in the persistent rhythm of rain or the constant flow of a train across the landscape ([1], [2]), and also to capture the unyielding character and resolve of individuals—from a progress made at a school ([3]) to the calm, clear determination in a person’s gaze ([4], [5]). Moreover, "steady" often conveys the balance required to maintain physical pace or emotional composure, illustrating both mechanical repetition and the undercurrent of an enduring inner strength ([6], [7], [8]). This layered use enriches narratives by suggesting that stability, whether in the environment or in character, serves as a critical, almost elemental force in the unfolding of events ([9], [10]).
- At Wuthering Heights it always sounded on quiet days following a great thaw or a season of steady rain.
— from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - The fitful bursts of sleet had changed into a steady rain and the horses had heavy work even without a load behind them.
— from Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - Despite all drawbacks, his four years at the Academy were years of steady progress.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - His eye was steady, lively, rapid in its changes.
— from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - "My dear Minerva," said Richard, "I am as steady as you are.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens - Perfectly calm and steady, he sometimes repeated them to himself as he walked; but, he heard them always.
— from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Then I felt the burning tears run down my face, and it was steady again.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course.
— from Aesop's Fables by Aesop - “As I understand it, it is a theory of theirs,” answered Flambeau, “that a man can endure anything if his mind is quite steady.
— from The innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton - Through the glass wall a gloomy fjord landscape is faintly visible, veiled by steady rain.
— from Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen