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Literary notes about bastille (AI summary)

In literature, the word Bastille is employed as a multifaceted symbol that evokes both the oppressive weight of history and the passion of revolutionary change. Historical narratives imbue it with a monumental and sometimes mythic quality, as seen when its fall is portrayed as an event shaking the very foundations of France [1], or when the fortress stands as a grim monument of tyranny awaiting revolt [2]. At the same time, authors often use the term to set a dramatic and charged scene, whether it is invoked in heroic assemblies [3] or as a dark, foreboding environment that captures the imagination with its spectral presence [4]. In works of fiction, the Bastille becomes more than just a setting—it transforms into a powerful metaphor for social injustice and the human struggle against confinement, casually referenced in dialogue or used to heighten the emotional landscape of the narrative [5, 6]. Thus, the versatile use of Bastille in literature serves both as a historical emblem and as a dynamic literary device that continues to inspire nuanced reflections on freedom and oppression.
  1. To describe this Siege of the Bastille ( thought to be one of the most important in history ) perhaps transcends the talent of mortals.
    — from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
  2. Unhappy old de Launay, it is the death-agony of thy Bastille and thee!
    — from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
  3. A Body of Bastille Heroes, tolerably complete, did get together;—comparable to the Argonauts; hoping to endure like them.
    — from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
  4. It was some mighty, visible phantom, one knew not what, standing erect beside the invisible spectre of the Bastille.
    — from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  5. I am not a fighting man at all, monsieur, and I am afraid of the Bastille.”
    — from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
  6. That’s a frightful place, that Bastille!
    — from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet

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