Literary notes about Ass (AI summary)
The term "ass" weaves a multifaceted thread through literature, serving both as a literal reference to the humble beast of burden and a metaphor for folly or stubbornness. In fables and biblical passages, the creature is portrayed in its natural state—a symbol of labor, burden, and, at times, misfortune [1], [2], [3]—while in more conversational or satirical contexts, it becomes an epithet for foolishness or self-deprecation [4], [5], [6], [7]. This dual employment not only bridges the gap between moral allegory and everyday speech but also enriches the text with layers of irony, wit, and social commentary, casting the ass as both a character in its own right and a vehicle for broader cultural insights [8], [9].
- An Ass and an Ox, fastened to the same yoke, were drawing a waggon.
— from The Fables of Phædrus by Phaedrus - And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee?
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Mark Chapter 11 Christ enters into Jerusalem upon an ass.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - As for your reproach about the little singer in Munich [see No. 62], I must confess that I was an ass to write such a complete falsehood.
— from The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Volume 01 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - To this I received an answer during the after-luncheon sleep: What on earth is there to be perplexed about, ass?
— from Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse - but, masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass.
— from Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare - If you are an ass and go off to-morrow to inform the police, that would be rather a disadvantage to us; what do you think about it?
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Ass at ease, the Miller quite foot-sore!
— from The Fables of La Fontaine by Jean de La Fontaine - Out of a little grass comes a great ass.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs