Literary notes about Irritation (AI summary)
In literature, "irritation" is often employed to convey both a transient emotional reaction and a deeper, sometimes more pervasive, state of discomfort. Many writers use it as a subtle indicator of a character’s inner turmoil or dissatisfaction that can escalate into a profound personal crisis, as when a character’s growing irritation mirrors an unraveling inner life ([1], [2], [3]). The term is also used to denote interpersonal tensions—a fleeting, almost offhand remark of irritation in dialogue that reveals a character’s immediate state of mind or social disapproval ([4], [5], [6]). Moreover, irritation sometimes takes on a physical aspect, describing sensations or moods that border on the visceral, blurring the line between mental disturbance and bodily discomfort ([7], [8], [9]). Across diverse narratives—from the restrained civility of polite society to the raw emotions of existential conflict—irritation functions as a versatile literary device, highlighting the complexities of human behavior and the often unpredictable spark that can lead to greater action or introspection ([10], [11], [12]).
- But her excitement did not flag, and every moment her irritation grew more intense.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - He seemed under a chronic irritation of the greatest intensity.
— from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells - It irritated her almost to madness, and she let loose all the irritation in the class.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - I tell you he is my second cousin," said Ladislaw, with some irritation.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - Then he added aloud, with irritation in his tone: “See here.
— from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol - With some irritation he asked, "What did you say the two other possibilities were?" He had already forgotten the terms used.
— from The Trial by Franz Kafka - The glands are also excited into action through the irritation of adjoining parts.
— from The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin - For all that it leads to, it might as well be a mere irritation of the optic nerve.
— from How We Think by John Dewey - As he stood persistently before his vision, he gave vent to a cry of sharp irritation and agony.
— from The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane - The question of the possibility of having children had long been a subject of dispute and irritation to her.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - It struck her that he was not behaving so badly, and her irritation increased.
— from A Room with a View by E. M. Forster - I detected a controlled irritation in these words.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne
