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Literary notes about Condescending (AI summary)

Literary authors frequently use "condescending" to paint a vivid picture of characters who project an air of superiority and patronizing courtesy. In some narratives, this term serves not only as a descriptor of tone and demeanor but also as a subtle indicator of social hierarchy; for instance, a character's capricious yet condescending behavior underscores their self-assured distance from others [1]. In other works, such as those by Dostoyevsky and Dickens, condescension emerges in gestures—a smile or a dismissive remark—that reveal an unspoken imbalance in status and power [2, 3]. Even in passages where the irony of a character's attitude is at the forefront, the word enriches the portrayal of complex interpersonal dynamics and societal structures [4, 5].
  1. "When he was capricious, condescending, told you lies, I marvelled how it was you did not see, did not understand, when it was all so clear!
    — from The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  2. A supercilious and condescending smile played on his lips.
    — from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  3. "My landlord, Krook," said the little old lady, condescending to him from her lofty station as she presented him to us.
    — from Bleak House by Charles Dickens
  4. " He was aware of smiling at her vaguely, and she added, as if condescending to his natural shyness: "I've never seen May looking lovelier.
    — from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  5. He appeared to address condescending words to him from an immeasurable height.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy

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