Literary notes about Animosity (AI summary)
In literature, the term animosity is employed to convey intense feelings of hostility and resentment, often driving interpersonal conflict or reflecting broader societal tensions. Writers use it to illustrate both personal vendettas—such as when a character’s unexpected change in identity stirs deep-seated bitterness [1]—and the more expansive, politically charged strife between groups or nations, as seen in narratives of conquests or ideological divides [2][3]. The word not only underscores the emotional gravity of human interactions, but it also serves as a catalyst for plot development, revealing characters’ inner turmoils or the corrosive impact of prolonged enmity on communities [4][5].
- Not knowing his secret it was cruel mockery that she should for the first time excite his animosity when she had taken his surname.
— from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy - He himself is full of animosity and alarm; he finds that he is as a stranger in his own country, and he treats his subjects like conquered enemies.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville - It was in the north of Europe that the animosity against the Jews was greatest.
— from Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by P. L. Jacob - Immediately eight swords glittered in the rays of the setting sun, and the combat began with an animosity very natural between men twice enemies.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - If life’s long enough,” I muttered through my teeth with unreasonable animosity.
— from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
