Literary notes about Rat (AI summary)
The term "rat" is employed in literature with a range of nuanced meanings, serving both as a literal animal character and a metaphor for human traits. In works like those of Kenneth Grahame, the Rat is portrayed as witty, resourceful, and sometimes even affable, often guiding the narrative with clever dialogue and decisive action ([1], [2], [3]). Meanwhile, in other texts, it conveys deceit and treachery, capturing the cultural stigma associated with the animal ([4], [5]). Additionally, the word enriches folkloric and allegorical storytelling, where its varied depictions underscore themes of human frailty, survival, and the sometimes ambivalent nature of urban life ([6], [7]).
- ‘It’s a very clean cut,’ said the Rat, examining it again attentively.
— from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - When all was ready, the Rat said, ‘Now, pitch in, old fellow!’
— from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - "We can't sit here very long," said the Rat.
— from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - In his lawless fit Behind the arras hearing something stir, Whips out his rapier, cries ‘A rat, a rat!’
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - I felt like a rat caught in a trap, as though I would have turned and bitten at whatever thing was nearest me.
— from Erewhon; Or, Over the Range by Samuel Butler - If they smell a rat about the precincts of a cherished institution, they will always stop their noses to it if they can.
— from Erewhon; Or, Over the Range by Samuel Butler - This Rat a hundred times had sworn He feared no Cat that yet was born; Both tooth and paw he held in scorn.
— from The Fables of La Fontaine by Jean de La Fontaine
