Literary notes about Magistrate (AI summary)
In literature the term magistrate is often deployed to evoke the authority and solemnity of judicial power as well as a broader representation of societal order. Authors use the role to drive dramatic confrontations and legal intrusions into everyday life—as seen when a magistrate interrogates a witness with deliberate gravity ([1]) or issues abrupt commands in bustling urban settings ([2], [3]). At the same time, some works portray the magistrate as a personification of government, acting as both enforcer and administrator of public duty ([4], [5]), while others hint at the personal idiosyncrasies and moral ambiguities inherent in wielding such power ([6], [7]). This diverse usage underscores not only the legal but also the symbolic significance of the magistrate in shaping the interplay between individual characters and the larger forces of society.
- The examining magistrate paused, gave a sigh and said: “Come, explain why she died.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Hey, Semyon,” cries the magistrate, “take him away!”
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - ‘What are you laughing at, Mr. Jinks?’ said the magistrate.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - The mal-administration of a democratic magistrate is a mere isolated fact, which only occurs during the short period for which he is elected.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville - The executive magistrate of the union is the stadtholder, who is now an hereditary prince.
— from The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison - The MAGISTRATE leans forward, and stares with hard compassion at the little girls.
— from The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy - The magistrate had dropped the paper, and, leaning sideways on the arm of his chair, began to talk with Brierly easily.
— from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
