Literary notes about Lust (AI summary)
Across literature, "lust" is deployed as a multifaceted term that conveys intense desire in various forms. In classical epics, it emerges as a force subject to divine retribution or heroic exaltation, as seen when it is condemned in the struggle against lawlessness and unruly appetites ([1], [2]). In philosophical treatises, it prompts ethical reflection—its excess is meticulously weighed against moral choices and human frailties ([3], [4], [5]). Meanwhile, in both poetic and narrative works, lust is depicted as a potent, often destructive, passion; it drives characters to acts of violence, infidelity, or even the pursuit of material riches ([6], [7], [8]). Across these contexts, the term encapsulates both the allure of sensuality and the perils of unbridled desire, underscoring its enduring complexity in literature.
- Loth as thou art to punish lawless lust, Not all the gods are partial and unjust.
— from The Iliad by Homer - Moreover I feel the lust of battle burn more fiercely within me, while my hands and my feet under me are more eager for the fray.
— from The Iliad by Homer - Explanation—Whether this desire be excessive or not, it is still called lust.
— from Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza - ] Such as are more justly objects of wrath are more unjust, Actions of Lust are more unjust P. 168, l. 3.
— from The Ethics of Aristotle by Aristotle - Again: whereas Lust is frequently opposed to Moral Choice, Lust is not to Lust.
— from The Ethics of Aristotle by Aristotle - But I am distrustful of your doggish lust.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - Nothing stirred within his soul but a cold and cruel and loveless lust.
— from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce - His wicked lust for gold kindled at the news, and he bent her to his will.
— from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
