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Literary notes about Neglectful (AI summary)

In literature, the term "neglectful" has been used in a variety of contexts to critique inattention or oversight, whether in character judgment or broader themes. For instance, Helen Keller contrasts divine neglect with human responsibility, suggesting a misplaced burden on flawed mortals [1]. In contrast, M. E. Braddon’s character admonishes himself as a "blind, neglectful fool," highlighting personal failure and remorse [2]. Homer’s use of the word in The Iliad serves dual functions: one hints at personal disdain for inaction in critical matters whereas another instance incorporates it into a broader, mythically charged disobedience toward divine command [3, 4]. Moving into more modern territory, Chekhov employs the term colloquially to point out simple carelessness [5], while Emily Post uses it defensively in a personal exchange about social etiquette [6]. Finally, Hans Gross invokes "neglectful" to encapsulate a systemic oversight in human conduct, linking it to the causal chain of events within society [7].
  1. We are bothered a good deal by people who assume the responsibility of the world when God is neglectful.
    — from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
  2. "I am a blind, neglectful fool not to have thought of this before.
    — from Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. Braddon
  3. If yet that offspring lives; (I distant far, Of all neglectful, wage a hateful war.)
    — from The Iliad by Homer
  4. Cease; lest, neglectful of high Jove's command, I show thee, king!
    — from The Iliad by Homer
  5. “It’s very neglectful, anyway.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  6. Or: "I suppose you have been thinking me very neglectful, but you know how I hate to write letters."
    — from Etiquette by Emily Post
  7. But we are nowhere so neglectful of causation as in the deeds of mankind.
    — from Criminal Psychology: A Manual for Judges, Practitioners, and Students by Hans Gross

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