Literary notes about reverie (AI summary)
In literature, reverie often signifies a temporary escape into a state of deep, reflective daydreaming where characters become detached from their immediate surroundings. Writers employ the word to indicate moments when individuals are absorbed in inner thoughts or memories, as when someone is left gazing at the sky or lost in a profound, sometimes melancholic, meditation [1, 2, 3]. At other times, it marks a subtle pause in the narrative that contrasts the inner world with external events—a tool that enriches character development by revealing hidden layers of emotion or forethought [4, 5, 6]. This multifaceted use of reverie underscores its role as not merely a lapse in attention but as a window into the internal landscapes of characters.
- ” Anne had relapsed into reverie, with her chin in her hands and her eyes on the sky, when Marilla returned from her cellar pilgrimage.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - She fell into so deep a reverie that her eyes gradually closed.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - This news struck his Majesty dumb with amazement, and plunged him into so deep and dismal a reverie that he heard no more of the old man’s gossip.
— from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain - “No,” stammered Elizabeth, arousing herself from a reverie.
— from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy - With the setting of the moon the pale light lessened, and Tess became invisible as she fell into reverie upon the leaves where he had left her.
— from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy - He felt in it a premeditation from on high, the will of some one who was not man, and he became absorbed in reverie.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
