Literary notes about FOIBLE (AI summary)
In literature, the term "foible" is employed in a variety of ways to denote a minor fault or characteristic weakness, often one that lends a certain charm or irony to a character or system. It is used to describe everything from personal quirks—a subtle imperfection in someone's disposition or habits, as alluded to by a character in Joyce’s work ([1]) or Twain’s narrative ([2])—to broader societal shortcomings, such as the habitual tendencies of a nation ([3]). Notably, in theatrical dialogue, especially in Congreve’s witty plays, "foible" is appropriated as a familiar and even affectionate name, enriching conversations with humor and a touch of endearment ([4], [5], [6]). Additionally, the word appears in technical contexts to describe a slight physical defect ([7]). Thus, authors utilize "foible" as a versatile term to sketch both human and systemic vulnerabilities in a nuanced and engaging manner ([8], [9]).
- Rumpled stockings, it may be, possibly is, a foible of mine but still it’s a thing I simply hate to see.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - But he was a very delightful gentleman, and his little foible did not hurt him at all.
— from The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner - The prevailing foible of a nation is generally to be found in the proverbs of the country and of those adjacent.
— from Olla Podrida by Frederick Marryat - Come, come, Foible—I had forgot my nephew will be here before dinner—I must make haste.
— from The Way of the World by William Congreve - Will he be importunate, Foible, and push?
— from The Way of the World by William Congreve - [ To Peg .] SCENE V. Lady Wishfort , Foible .
— from The Way of the World by William Congreve - In this case the cut has been received on the “foible,” or half of the blade nearest the point.
— from Broad-Sword and Single-Stick With Chapters on Quarter-Staff, Bayonet, Cudgel, Shillalah, Walking-Stick, Umbrella and Other Weapons of Self-Defence by Headley, Rowland George Allanson-Winn, Baron - To confuse the instrument with its function and the operation with its meaning has been a persistent foible in modern philosophy.
— from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana - "Well, it was a shame," answered the first speaker, "for a lady of such excellent qualities to make herself ridiculous by a single foible."
— from Be Courteous, or, Religion, the True Refiner by M. H. (Mary H.) Maxwell
