Literary notes about Reformer (AI summary)
The term "reformer" in literature is employed with a striking variety of connotations, reflecting both admiration for its visionary potential and skepticism about its implications. In historical and religious narratives, for instance, reformers are often portrayed as pioneers of extraordinary change—Wyclif and John Knox are noted as figures who challenged established order and set new standards ([1], [2]), while others like those in Foxe's accounts or Carlyle’s works imbue the title with a sense of martyrdom or political boldness ([3], [4]). At the same time, authors such as Bernard Shaw and Dewey present the reformer as an iconoclast whose radical impulses may sometimes lead to unintended consequences ([5], [6]). This broad application, spanning from venerated advocates to contentious figures, underscores the layered ambivalence with which social, political, and religious transformation is viewed in literature.
- (3) Wyclif, the religious reformer, who first translated the gospels into English, and by his translation fixed a common standard of English speech.
— from English Literature by William J. Long - John Knox, the reformer, in his History of the Reformation in Scotland , has some very vivid portraits of his helpers and enemies.
— from English Literature by William J. Long - This celebrated reformer, denominated the Morning Star of the Reformation, was born about the year 1324, in the reign of Edward II.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - Alas, the battling Reformer too is, from time to time, a needful and inevitable phenomenon.
— from On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle - I have become a reformer, and, like all reformers, an iconoclast.
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw - Unfortunately, the reformer sometimes carries his objection too far, or rather locates it in the wrong place.
— from How We Think by John Dewey
