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Literary notes about averse (AI summary)

In literature, the term "averse" is often employed to reveal a character’s internal resistance or reluctance toward certain behaviors, ideas, or obligations. Authors use it to indicate not just a simple dislike but a deep-seated unwillingness—for instance, Levin’s openness to new ideas is contrasted with his persistent reservations [1], while other texts reveal characters who are fundamentally opposed to established practices such as arranged marriage [2] or the joint handling of assets [3]. The word is versatile enough to encapsulate everything from a refusal to conform to societal expectations, as seen in critiques of ostentation [4] and political formalities [5], to more abstract rejections of metaphysical or religious ideals [6]. This rich usage demonstrates how "averse" serves as a subtle yet powerful lens through which authors explore character motivations and cultural critiques [7, 8].
  1. From his conversation with the old man, Levin thought he was not averse to new methods either.
    — from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
  2. My father now greatly sollicited me to think of marriage; but my inclinations were utterly averse to any such thoughts.
    — from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding
  3. The latter was averse to keeping his wealth jointly with his brother’s.
    — from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
  4. This aristocracy was “fast,” and not averse to ostentation.
    — from The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner
  5. Others, though content that treaties should be made in the mode proposed, are averse to their being the SUPREME laws of the land.
    — from The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison
  6. We are born so averse to this love of God, and it is so necessary that we must be born guilty, or God would be unjust.
    — from Pascal's Pensées by Blaise Pascal
  7. The King is exceedingly averse to make peers, as you know.
    — from Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray
  8. The Christians were not less averse to the business than to the pleasures of this world.
    — from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon

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