Literary authors use the word "whisper" to evoke a sense of intimacy, secrecy, or subdued emotion. In dramatic dialogues, a whisper can be a tender expression of affection or a cautious confession, as when a character leans in to share a secret sentiment [1, 2, 3, 4]. At other times, it functions as a subtle marker of internal conflict or suspense, lending an element of mystery to the narrative [5, 6, 7]. The word is also employed to suggest an almost ethereal quality, whether it’s the soft murmur of nature that reveals hidden truths [8, 9, 10] or the clandestine exchanges that heighten tension within a story's social or political undercurrents [11, 12, 13]. Thus, "whisper" operates on multiple levels in literature, encapsulating everything from delicate personal interactions to the understated revelation of larger, more enigmatic ideas.
- The tears danced in her eyes; she breathed in a small whisper to the boy, “Hallo, my funny!”
— from The Garden Party, and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
- Let me then whisper it in her ears—It is your name, madam.
— from Joseph Andrews, Vol. 1 by Henry Fielding
- "You haven't kissed me today," she said in a whisper; and he felt her tremble in his arms.
— from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
- “Volodya darling, who is it?” asked his mother, in a whisper.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
- “You are a madman,” said Zametov, and for some reason he too spoke in a whisper, and moved away from Raskolnikov, whose eyes were glittering.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- The kind whisper went to my heart like a dagger.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
- The whisper ceased and he knew then clearly that his own soul had sinned in thought and word and deed wilfully through his own body.
— from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
- for its leaves Are green and waving hymns which whisper Truth!
— from The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ (from the Mahâbhârata)
- Looking round in every direction I could see nothing; yet still I FELT a Presence, and shivered as the cold whisper came again.
— from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott
- The note of the cue-owl is infinitely soft and sweet—soft and sweet as the whisper of a flute.
— from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain
- The news of Smerdyakov's death produced a sudden stir and whisper in the court.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Gridley," in a low whisper behind his hand.
— from Bleak House by Charles Dickens
- Whisper and counter-whisper; a very tempest of whispers!
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle