Literary notes about too (AI summary)
Throughout these literary passages, the word "too" serves a variety of nuanced purposes, from underscoring excess to signifying “also” or “in addition.” In “Her woman too interposed” [1], for example, it highlights that someone else took part, whereas “It was something too much for him” [2] conveys a sense of overwhelming emotion or burden. Meanwhile, “We had not waited long when Mr. and Mrs. Bagnet came out too” [3] shows additional arrivals, and “Too many thoughts had piled up in my mind” [4] points to an excessive number of unanswerable questions. Whether functioning as an indicator of surplus or of something happening “as well,” “too” in these excerpts illustrates its flexibility and emphasis in English literature.
- Her woman too interposed, and told her, I was not worth her ladyship's anger.
— from Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson - It was something too much for him.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - We had not waited long when Mr. and Mrs. Bagnet came out too and quickly joined us.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens - Too many thoughts had piled up in my mind, too many insoluble questions had arisen, too many images were keeping my eyelids open!
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne
