Literary notes about Distressed (AI summary)
The term "distressed" appears in literature as a versatile descriptor that conveys not only deep emotional torment but also states of physical hardship and disquiet. In narratives spanning epic poems, tragedies, and even social satires, the word functions to express a range of conditions—from profound grief, as seen when a character weeps at a riverside ([1]), to acute anxiety over impending danger or personal loss ([2], [3]). It is also applied to denote external circumstances that lead individuals to feel dejected or overwhelmed, whether in moments of economic despair ([4]) or when grappling with the burdens of duty and unexpected sorrow ([5], [6]). Moreover, its use within dialogue underscores the immediacy and intimacy of the distress felt by characters, as when one reassures another not to be overly troubled ([7]) or expresses personal anguish in a confessional tone ([8]). This multifaceted employment of "distressed" enriches the narrative by linking internal emotions with external crises.
- Distressed beyond measure, he sat on the river side and wept.
— from Folk-Tales of Bengal by Lal Behari Day - “Then he must have driven through Volovya before me,” thought Dmitri, but he was terribly distressed about Smerdyakov.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for you, and sometimes I am distressed that all of it you never will know.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - She was distressed at the poverty of her dwelling, at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - “By Queen Kaikeyí long distressed I drove him forth and dispossessed.”
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki - Distressed and woe-stricken, I am seeking my husband alone in these woods.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - Do not be distressed, Eleanor, I can go on Monday very well.
— from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - That's why my heart has been very distressed these two days!
— from Hung Lou Meng, or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Book I by Xueqin Cao
