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Literary notes about Misrule (AI summary)

The term "misrule" has found a diverse range of applications in literature, often embodying both the oppressive force of unjust governance and the liberating chaos of celebratory inversion. In texts such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Declaration of Independence, misrule stands for the palpable, systemic injustice and tyrannical power that challenge the untaught heart’s unwavering faith and stir bitter opposition ([1], [2]). Conversely, in works like The Scarlet Letter and narratives celebrating Christmas revelry, misrule takes on a festive guise—as embodied by figures such as the Lord of Misrule—symbolizing a temporary, subversive suspension of order and a playful reimagining of societal norms ([3], [4], [5]). Other literary pieces extend this imagery to encapsulate mythical chaos and the counterbalanced forces that both oppose and inadvertently reinforce established order ([6], [7]).
  1. Ah, how is it possible for the untaught heart to keep its faith, unswerving, in the face of dire misrule, and palpable, unrebuked injustice?
    — from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
  2. A patriot never lived who was more bitter in his hostility to English misrule, or more uncompromising in his opposition to toryism.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  3. There used to be a swarm of these small apparitions in holiday time, and we called them children of the Lord of Misrule.
    — from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  4. Abbot (or Lord) of Misrule, the personage who took the chief part in the Christmas revelries of the English populace before the Reformation.
    — from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various
  5. The King of Christmas was duly crowned, and the Lord of Misrule bore potent sway.
    — from Twice-told tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  6. Yet these noble exceptions from the general misrule served but to strengthen it by opposition.
    — from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe
  7. Yet besides these four incarnations of the spirits that misrule the world there is a host, a menagerie of mythical monsters.
    — from The Religions of Japan, from the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by William Elliot Griffis

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