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Literary notes about Gratifying (AI summary)

In literature, the term gratifying is often used to convey the satisfaction or pleasure derived from an action, achievement, or recognition. In historical epics and religious narratives, it describes the fulfillment of duties or the joy of receiving honors, as when a just ruler accepts gifts with delight [1] or when public accolades provide deep personal satisfaction [2]. The word also appears in more personal contexts, illustrating both emotional contentment and irony, such as in moments when characters experience the subtle pleasure of inter-personal connections or the bittersweet gratification of upholding personal ideals [3, 4, 5]. In analytical and philosophical works, gratifying can underscore the resolution of internal conflicts or the culmination of arduous efforts, like when creative or psychological quests reach their satisfying end [6, 7]. Moreover, its usage extends to social and political commentary, where the pleasure derived from success or popular approval is noted alongside a critical perspective on human desires [8, 9]. Across these varied contexts, gratifying encapsulates a multifaceted sense of reward—whether emotional, moral, or aesthetic—that resonates deeply with the reader.
  1. And Yudhishthira the just, desirous of gratifying Govinda, accepted all those presents with great joy.’
    — from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
  2. Public honours, and yet more gratifying testimonials of public admiration, awaited Nelson wherever he went.
    — from The Life of Horatio, Lord Nelson by Robert Southey
  3. It was gratifying to have inspired unconsciously so strong an affection.
    — from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  4. It’s very gratifying and agreeable to me, I am sure; but don’t you think you could do better?
    — from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  5. Mrs. Weston's partiality for him is very great, and, as you may suppose, most gratifying to me.
    — from Emma by Jane Austen
  6. As to the neurotic symptoms, we already know that they are the result of a conflict aroused by a new form of gratifying the libido.
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
  7. After so much time spent in painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires, was the most gratifying consummation of my toils.
    — from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
  8. Dear Friends :—The call for this Convention, so numerously signed, is indeed gratifying, and gives hope of a large attendance.
    — from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I
  9. Their curiosity is unbounded, and they have no hesitation in gratifying it by unlimited questioning.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson

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