Literary notes about Promissory (AI summary)
In literature, the term "promissory" is often employed to evoke themes of obligation and anticipation, linking the notion of a promise with tangible, often monetary, instruments. In James Joyce's Ulysses, for instance, the phrase "promissory notes" is used to describe financial documents emerging from a pilgrim's wallet, thereby imbuing them with a sense of fate and the weight of broken commitments as indicated by "dishonoured bills" [1]. This use not only reinforces the literal concept of financial instruments but also deepens the symbolic resonance of promises made and betrayed within the social and economic fabric of the narrative.
- Across his loins is slung a pilgrim’s wallet from which protrude promissory notes and dishonoured bills.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce