Literary notes about Unfortunate (AI summary)
The term “unfortunate” in literature serves as a versatile descriptor that both underscores genuine misfortune and introduces a layer of irony or satire. Authors employ it to depict characters ensnared by bad luck or societal mishaps, as seen when a man’s matrimonial error is humorously recounted [1], or when an individual is caught in a cascade of unexpected calamities [2]. At times, it accentuates the inherent tragedy of a situation, highlighting a fate that is both undeserved and inevitable [3, 4]. In other instances, it lends a sardonic tone to observations about human frailty and error, offering a subtle commentary on personal shortcomings, as in the refined quips of figures in dialogue [5, 6]. Whether used to evoke sympathy or to punctuate an ironic twist of fate [7, 8], “unfortunate” remains a powerful literary device that enriches narratives by drawing attention to the interplay between chance and consequence.
- [Pg 52] UNFORTUNATE H E pulled up the wick With the candlestick knife, And found he had married A bald-headed wife.
— from Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes - At last, however, the unfortunate hour came.
— from The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans-Wentz - To the last, she rendered every kindness to the slaves that her unfortunate circumstances permitted.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - Scores of unfortunate men were assassinated, many of them as the results of private enmity.
— from A History of the Philippines by David P. Barrows - ‘Ought I, though?’ said the unfortunate, with a doubtful appeal to his partner.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - Go thou unfortunate fool; at every word, you joke.
— from Nil Darpan; or, The Indigo Planting Mirror, A Drama. by Dinabandhu Mitra - “Ah, she is such an unfortunate and charming woman!
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - “Enough,” cried the unfortunate Renaldo, “the measure of my woes is now filled up.”
— from The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete by T. Smollett
