Literary notes about assertion (AI summary)
In literary discourse, "assertion" serves a dual purpose: it is both a declaration of a proposition and a marker of a character’s inner resolve or emotional state. In narratives, an assertion can be sudden or bold—emphasizing physical collapse or emotional defiance ([1], [2])—while in philosophical and critical writings, it often prompts scrutiny of underlying evidence or logical consistency ([3], [4]). Additionally, the term takes on a personal dimension, reflecting the assertion of self or identity in moments of transformation or conflict ([5], [6]).
- " As if, however, to falsify this assertion, his legs seemed to give way, and he suddenly sat down to save himself from falling.
— from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy - A short and sullen pause succeeded this bold assertion.
— from The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper - But such an assertion we do not succeed in sustaining.
— from Kant's Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant - The proof of this assertion seems to us simple enough, it lies in the time which every complicated (artificial) combination requires.
— from On War by Carl von Clausewitz - Love changes into hate, or dislike is transformed into affection, or humility is replaced by self-assertion.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - It is the force of the persistent assertion of one’s own existence, and a denial of death.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
