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Literary notes about superb (AI summary)

The word "superb" in literature is often employed as a superlative to heighten the qualities of objects, individuals, and scenes, imbuing them with an aura of excellence and grandeur. Authors apply it to describe not only striking physical attributes—such as in the depiction of a majestic English charger ([1]) or a riveting mountain vista ([2], [3])—but also to accentuate refined characteristics in people, from a chef portrayed as a “superb artist” ([4]) to figures with commanding presence or distinctive moral fortitude ([5], [6]). At times, the term underscores the impeccable quality of craftsmanship in art, architecture, or even daily comforts, as seen in sumptuous tapestries ([7]), elegant interiors ([8]), or well-composed writing ([9]). Its versatile usage can even carry subtle irony, hinting at the complexity behind a seemingly flawless exterior ([10], [11]), thereby enriching the reader’s experience through a blend of admiration and critical nuance.
  1. At the same time, Aramis made his appearance at the other end of the street upon a superb English charger.
    — from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  2. From it, one looks across a smaller lake, banked with gnarled and twisted limber pines, to the superb mountain scenery in every direction.
    — from Glacier National Park [Montana] by United States. Department of the Interior
  3. the view was superb; and I likewise caught a glimpse of Kinchinjunga from the neighbouring heights, bearing south 60° west and distant forty miles.
    — from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass
  4. She was alluding to her chef , that superb artist.
    — from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
  5. A superb woman, Mr. Blake, of the sort that are not to be trifled with—the sort with the light complexion and the Roman nose.
    — from The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
  6. The Vengeance and the Juryman, looking after her as she walked away, were highly appreciative of her fine figure, and her superb moral endowments.
    — from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  7. there are indeed many superb high warp tapestries there.”
    — from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
  8. On the platform were superb chairs, sofas, and desk covered with blue silk damask; everything throughout the hall was artistic and complete.
    — from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I
  9. He happened to catch sight of a well-written manuscript on the table, and asked me if that superb writing was my secretary’s.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  10. It was unclean, despised, repulsive, and superb, ugly in the eyes of the bourgeois, melancholy in the eyes of the thinker.
    — from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  11. Morale, for all the greater purposes of war, is a state of faith; and its logic will be the superb and elusive logic of human faith.
    — from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park

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