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Literary notes about Imprecation (AI summary)

The term "imprecation" in literature often serves as a vehicle for conveying a spectrum of emotional and dramatic effects. In some works, it acts as a playful or tender curse—a mild imprecation that, despite its ostensibly light tone, carries an undercurrent of directed misfortune, as seen in Walter Scott's narrative [1]. In other texts, however, imprecations take on a more grave and vivid character; for example, Henry Scadding employs it to evoke a sense of solemn defiance with a curse directed at the North Pole [2], while H. G. Wells uses it to punctuate moments of tangible tension and disruption, where the utterance of an imprecation is almost a physical catalyst for change [3, 4]. Alexandre Dumas further enhances this dynamic by presenting imprecations as expressions of furious anger that incite equally wild reactions [5]. Moreover, Charles Dickens illustrates how such curses manifest in personal conflicts, imbuing his characters with a sharp, literalized critique of one another [6], and Victor Hugo notes the term's evolution by suggesting that oaths have increasingly adopted the character of imprecations [7].
  1. May evil befall (see on shrewdly, 84 above); a mild imprecation, often used playfully and even tenderly.
    — from The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott
  2. The person who had uttered an imprecation on the North Pole, Si
    — from Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding
  3. Then came an imprecation, and a match was struck and the study was flooded with yellow light.
    — from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells
  4. There was a fairly audible imprecation from within.
    — from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells
  5. The Gascon uttered a furious imprecation, which was answered by a wild laugh on the other side of the iron panel.
    — from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  6. ‘Not becoming too old to wear?’ Arthur Gride muttered an imprecation on his housekeeper’s deafness, as he roared in her ear: ‘Not smart enough!
    — from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
  7. The oath has become an imprecation.
    — from The History of a Crime by Victor Hugo

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