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Literary notes about Disclaim (AI summary)

The term "disclaim" in literature often serves as a linguistic tool to signal a deliberate disavowal or distancing from one’s associations, responsibilities, or any implied connections. In Fielding’s work, for instance, it is used to renounce any relationship with a character deemed unworthy [1], while in Thurston’s account it draws a clear line between local identity and external affiliations [2]. Similarly, in Chambers’ narrative the word punctuates a stark refusal to accept association with a misbehaving dog [3], and Jacobs employs it to cast aside any responsibility for ominous outcomes [4]. Philosophical and rhetorical uses abound as well: William James leverages the term to reject claims about the freedom of will [5], and Nietzsche criticizes the misattribution of authority by disclaiming it to fleeting circumstances [6]. Even in classical epics and dramatic works—from Homer’s sealing of disgrace [7] to the multifaceted rejections found in Ben Jonson’s and Burke’s writings [8, 9, 10]—"disclaim" effectively underscores a refusal to acknowledge any link to a particular role, action, or ideology.
  1. He is your own scholar, and I disclaim him.
    — from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding
  2. In their own towns or villages they acknowledge themselves to be washermen, but in other places they disclaim all such connection.”
    — from Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 7 of 7 by Edgar Thurston
  3. "But," objected the other, "I disclaim the dog."
    — from The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers
  4. "I was to say that 'Maw and Meggins' disclaim all responsibility," continued the other.
    — from The Monkey's Paw by W. W. Jacobs
  5. I thus disclaim openly on the threshold all pretension to prove to you that the freedom of the will is true.
    — from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James
  6. What one wants to do, above all, is to disclaim all authority and to attribute it to circumstances.
    — from The Will to Power: An Attempted Transvaluation of All Values. Book I and II by Nietzsche
  7. So may he perish, so may Jove disclaim The wretch relentless, and o'erwhelm with shame!
    — from The Iliad by Homer
  8. DISCIPLINE, reformation; ecclesiastical system. DISCLAIM, renounce all part in.
    — from The Alchemist by Ben Jonson
  9. His colleagues in office are in haste to shake him off, and to disclaim the whole of his proceedings.
    — from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 01 (of 12) by Edmund Burke
  10. Sir, if I do, mankind disclaim me ever! Kit.
    — from Every Man in His Humor by Ben Jonson

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