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Literary notes about Commiseration (AI summary)

In literature, the term "commiseration" is often employed to convey a shared expression of pity and empathetic sorrow for another’s misfortune. Writers use it to depict moments of deep emotional connection—whether it is the tender reassurance offered in a time of distress [1] or the subtle transformation of grief into something more nuanced, as when suffering evolves into a fervid, almost passionate sentiment [2]. Its usage spans a range of contexts, from the formal, almost dignified lament in historical narratives [3] to the ironic or bittersweet acknowledgment of personal weakness and regret [4][5]. At times, commiseration expresses a societal call for empathy toward misfortune, hinting at a broader moral or emotional solidarity [6][7], while in other instances it highlights individual vulnerability and the inherent complexity of human relationships [8][9]. This multifaceted term serves as a literary tool, enabling authors to deepen character interactions and evoke moods that oscillate between compassion, melancholy, and at times, a tacit critique of the inevitability of fate [10][11].
  1. "Courage," the monk murmured, with a tender commiseration, "courage, my daughter, above man there is God.
    — from The Buccaneer Chief: A Romance of the Spanish Main by Gustave Aimard
  2. Commiseration had finally developed the vehemence of a love affair.
    — from Mare Nostrum (Our Sea): A Novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
  3. Jupiter, in commiseration of his death, sent birds to grace his funeral, that perpetually chanted certain mournful and bewailing dirges.
    — from Bacon's Essays, and Wisdom of the Ancients by Francis Bacon
  4. Eat hearty, and may it well agree with you," she said, with a compound of deep commiseration, reverence, and disdain.
    — from The Rise of David Levinsky by Abraham Cahan
  5. e inside of his wrists while this commiseration was bestowed upon him, and performed some affecting tears and sniffs.
    — from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  6. There was much commiseration for her as she was removed, and much sympathy with her father.
    — from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  7. He rose and walked slowly into the sitting-room, followed by his daughter and a murmur of commiseration from his wife.
    — from A First Family of Tasajara by Bret Harte
  8. She looked into her lover’s face and saw in it a look of commiseration and perplexity.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
  9. Madam de Warens, seeing her endeavors would be fruitless, became less explicit, and only added, with an air of commiseration, “Poor child!
    — from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  10. But what would formerly have been an intolerable affliction has become commiseration, pity.
    — from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant
  11. Do not impute it to obstinacy or disdain that I do not, according to the custom, supplicate and go about to move you to commiseration.
    — from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne

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