I’m interested in italics in novels. Italic writings in novels have a wide variety of feelings, for example surprise, delight, anger, irony, humor, etc. However, consulting reference books, I only find such explanations for italics as “emphasis” or “attention,” which do not always give me important information, especially in order to take in the nuance of the expression and use it in writing in the future.
I’d like to know the meaning of italic ‘loved’ in the following citation, as an “italic collector.”
“But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one’s ever understood me like you, Tom …. I’m so glad I’ve got this diary to confide in …. It’s like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket….” Harry Potter AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (p.309, US edition)
The speaker, Tom Riddle, is a villain in this story. He is boasting how well he could win Ginny’s heart by becoming a kind of pen pal with her.
I understand the latter part is italicized because Tom is mimicking Ginny’s comment probably with a scornful feeling. But why is ‘loved’ written in italics? Or, if you were the writer, how would you express the same meaning without italics?
(Why can’t I instinctively catch the italic meaning? – Because my native language depends more on adverbs, particles, or other ways, when expressing such subtle nuances in novels. It is not because I can’t understand human emotions! So, I’d be happy if you could explain it for me as specifically as possible. )