Literary notes about GENTRY (AI summary)
Throughout literature, “gentry” appears as a multifaceted term that not only delineates a social class but also carries varying tones depending on context. In some works it marks a distinct upper or landed class—as when characters’ statuses or privileges are explicitly noted [1, 2, 3]—while in others it is employed with irony or even disdain, highlighting the pretensions or idiosyncrasies of the elite [4, 5, 6]. Authors sometimes use it in a neutral sense to denote societal hierarchy, yet at other times it becomes a vehicle for social commentary, critiquing the attitudes of both the gentry and those who interact with them [7, 8, 9]. Moreover, its repeated appearance in narratives ranging from satire to historical reflection underscores the term’s enduring role as a cultural marker, capable of evoking both respect and skepticism within diverse literary settings [10, 11, 12].
- The next Place of Resort, wherein the servile World are let loose, is at the Entrance of Hide-Park , while the Gentry are at the Ring.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - The manufacturer, banker, and captain of industry have practically displaced a hereditary landed gentry as the immediate directors of social affairs.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey - At the porch he met two of the landed gentry, one of whom he knew.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - I wish I could say the same of the gentry—detestable word, but I suppose I must use it—of the gentry in the neighbourhood.
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - ‘True,’ said Dodson, ‘I dare say you have been annoyed in the Fleet; there are some odd gentry there.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - And let me tell you, gentry, a wide one too.
— from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne - “‘To tell the gentry their fortunes,’ she says, ma’am; and she swears she must and will do it.”
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - Imitating the Dobrzynskis, the rest of the gentry of the vicinity likewise assumed nicknames, or by-names.
— from Pan Tadeusz; or, The last foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz - GENTRY, gentlemen; manners characteristic of gentry, good breeding.
— from Every Man in His Humor by Ben Jonson - Why do they think unfit That Gentry should joyne families with it?
— from The Poems of John Donne, Volume 1 (of 2) by John Donne - But meanwhile the gentry had rallied to the Count.
— from Pan Tadeusz; or, The last foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz - Among the gentry of the province Nicholas was respected but not liked.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
