Literary notes about Cynicism (AI summary)
In literature, "cynicism" is often employed to convey a character’s disillusionment and sharp, sometimes cutting, attitude toward society and its values. Writers use the term to illustrate not just a general pessimism but also a complex mix of sarcasm, moral disdain, and defensive detachment. At times, it underscores a character’s inner torment or bitter irony in response to societal injustices, as when money is seen as a tool to shatter happiness ([1]), or when a deeply sardonic outlook disrupts social interactions ([2], [3]). In other instances, cynicism is portrayed as a shield against deeper vulnerabilities—an acquired habit of thinking that traps characters in self-made prisons of suspicion and envy ([4]), or even as an unexpectedly warm finessing of one’s true nature ([5], [6]). Thus, across a range of works, cynicism emerges as a multifaceted literary device that reflects both personal disillusionment and broader cultural decay.
- It was not the money, but the fact that this money was used with such revolting cynicism to ruin his happiness!”
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Strickland interrupted my reflections with an observation the profound cynicism of which startled me.
— from The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham - "No, Zinaida Fyodorovna, this is cynicism.
— from The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self made prison-hole.
— from As a man thinketh by James Allen - First I became cynical, but, as I was altogether too comfortable to be morose, my cynicism was of a good-natured character.
— from The Lady of the Ice: A Novel by James De Mille - Jack has persuaded you that cynicism is a good tonic for me.
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw
