Literary notes about DENIAL (AI summary)
The word “denial” in literature functions on multiple levels, ranging from a marker of personal sacrifice to a signifier of philosophical renunciation. In some works, self-denial highlights ascetic or moral discipline—a deliberate choice to forgo personal gain or desires, as seen in the meditative retreats and austere lives of characters ([1], [2], [3]). In other contexts, denial operates in dialogue as both a refusal and a challenge, capturing moments when characters resist or reject proposals or ideas with resolute determination ([4], [5]). Additionally, philosophical texts use denial to interrogate the fundamental nature of will and existence, suggesting that rejecting or suppressing certain impulses is intrinsic to understanding human limitation ([6], [7]). This layered usage underscores the versatility of the term, allowing it to convey both internal spiritual struggle and external interpersonal conflict.
- Instructed by the oldest of the Samanas, Siddhartha practised self-denial, practised meditation, according to a new Samana rules.
— from Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse - According to Schopenhauer, moral freedom—the highest ethical aim—is to be obtained only by a denial of the will to live.
— from The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer; Studies in Pessimism by Arthur Schopenhauer - "It seeks the highest triumphants of humanity in the exercise of devotion, self-contemplation, and self-denial."
— from The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors; Or, Christianity Before Christ by Kersey Graves - Never make denial; I must and will have Katherine to my wife.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - Your grant or your denial shall be mine.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - To deny the will of the infinite, that is to say, God, is impossible on any other conditions than a denial of the infinite.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - True salvation, deliverance from life and suffering, cannot even be imagined without complete denial of the will.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer
