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Literary notes about Monitory (AI summary)

The term "monitory" in literature has been deployed to evoke a sense of warning or admonishment in various contexts. In Southey’s narrative, a seemingly incidental encounter with a "monitory lizard" subtly hints at nature's silent admonitions amid human lethargy, suggesting that even the most mundane phenomena can carry hidden warnings [1]. Emerson, on the other hand, employs "monitory" to describe the serene yet implicit messages conveyed by natural scenes—his “monitory pictures” evoke reminders of nature's constant call to mindfulness and reflection [2, 3]. Meanwhile, Carlyle’s use of "monitory" in relation to the overt displays of placards during the French Revolution underscores its capacity to heighten the sense of urgency and public deliberation through visible warnings [4]. Together, these examples illustrate how "monitory" enriches literary descriptions by infusing them with layers of caution, reflection, and sometimes even political significance.
  1. He had ordered his hammock to be slung under some trees, being excessively fatigued, and was sleeping, when a monitory lizard passed across his face.
    — from The Life of Horatio, Lord Nelson by Robert Southey
  2. Him Nature solicits with all her placid, all her monitory pictures.
    — from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  3. [8] Monitory pictures.
    — from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson
  4. Placards from Section, from Commune, from Legislative, from the individual Patriot, flame monitory on all walls.
    — from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle

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