Literary notes about Absolve (AI summary)
The term "absolve" in literature often conveys the act of releasing someone from a moral, spiritual, or legal burden, and its usage spans both sacred and secular contexts. In many works, it is closely tied to the religious tradition of conferring forgiveness or remission of sin, as seen when clergy declare their power to absolve transgressions ([1], [2], [3]). At the same time, authors extend the meaning to encompass liberation from personal promises, social obligations, or even political responsibilities, as when a character is freed from the bonds of filial duty or contractual engagement ([4], [5], [6]). Additionally, some authors employ the term with a tone of irony or skepticism, questioning the very authority of institutions or individuals to effect true absolution ([7], [8], [9]). This varied deployment of "absolve" enriches the narrative by highlighting the tension between personal guilt and institutional redemption.
- "There was never priest in the world who would refuse to absolve you.
— from The Watchers: A Novel by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason - “Oh, holy hermit, beloved of God,” prayed Clement, catching at the anchorite’s sheepskin, “absolve us, for we are nigh to death.
— from The Saint of the Dragon's Dale: A Fantastical Tale by William Stearns Davis - “Absolve my soul, Father,” she articulated softly, and slowly sank on her knees and bowed down at his feet.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Why didn’t you send to absolve me from my promise, when you wished I wouldn’t keep it? Come!
— from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - My good cousin, absolve yourself from that!
— from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - It is I that absolve you from an engagement which is impossible in our present misery.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - And if these words should establish the papal power over all Christians, I should very much like to know who could absolve the pope when he sins.
— from Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume I) by Martin Luther - The Patriarch offered to absolve him from the sin of falsehood, to which Asaad replied, "What the law of nature condemns, no man can make lawful."
— from History Of The Missions Of The American Board Of Commissioners For Foreign Missions To The Oriental Churches, Volume I. by Rufus Anderson - He said; “For fear be in thy heart no room; 100 Beforehand I absolve thee, but declare How Palestrina I may overcome.
— from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
