Literary notes about yielding (AI summary)
The term “yielding” is employed with remarkable versatility across literary works, signifying both physical submission and metaphorical capitulation. In some instances it describes a natural or material tendency to give way, as when water embodies passivity or a substance softens under pressure ([1], [2]). At other times it captures moments of human frailty or moral surrender—whether in yielding to a passionate impulse ([3]), an external persuasion ([4]), or even the inevitable surrender of nature’s force ([5])—thereby deepening the portrayal of character conflicts and transformations. This varied usage enriches narratives with nuance, from the subtle yielding of flesh to the steadfast resistance of will ([6], [7]), highlighting the multifaceted implications of submission and flexibility in both natural and human realms.
- Fire again is an emblem of the sun, and water of the passive or yielding element in nature.
— from Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism by Thomas Inman and M.R.C.S.E. John Newton - The carriage rolled away heavily through the yielding snow.
— from Best Russian Short Stories - “But—” Then, yielding to the outburst of too powerful a desire, “Well, yes!”
— from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - If I was wrong in yielding to persuasion once, remember that it was to persuasion exerted on the side of safety, not of risk.
— from Persuasion by Jane Austen - The eight oars fell into the sea simultaneously without splashing a drop of water, and the boat, yielding to the impulsion, glided forward.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Each time that his teeth struck they sank easily into the yielding flesh, while the animal did not seem able to defend itself.
— from White Fang by Jack London - It was his will and her will locked in a trance of motion, two wills locked in one motion, yet never fusing, never yielding one to the other.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
