Literary notes about shrieked (AI summary)
The word "shrieked" serves as a powerful, visceral verb in literature, conveying a sudden burst of intense emotion that can range from sheer terror to unbridled passion. Authors use it to punctuate moments of crisis—whether a desperate outcry amid chaos [1] or an eerie, almost supernatural exclamation that heightens the story’s atmosphere [2]. In some narratives, shrieking becomes a cathartic release of overwhelming sentiment, capturing shock, fear, or even defiance as characters react to extreme circumstances [3], [4]. Additionally, it can transform the ambiance of a scene by animating inanimate elements or collective experiences with an almost personified cry, thereby deepening the reader’s immersion into the dramatic or uncanny world the author has created [5], [6], [7].
- “Killed!” shrieked the man, in wild desperation, extending both arms at their length above his head, and staring at him.
— from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - I shrieked, upstarting— "Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
— from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe - Antonia resisted with all her strength: She folded her arms round a Pillar which supported the roof, and shrieked loudly for assistance.
— from The Monk: A Romance by M. G. Lewis - Madman!”—here he sprang furiously to his feet, and shrieked out his syllables, as if in the effort he were giving up his soul—“ Madman!
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - It roared; it yelled; it shrieked with glee as of demons let loose.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - As soon as the eldest daughter saw him, she was so terrified at his countenance that she shrieked out and ran away.
— from Grimm's Fairy Stories by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - “Murder! murder!” shrieked the unhappy gypsy.
— from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
