Literary notes about bully (AI summary)
In literature the term "bully" is used with remarkable versatility, shifting its meaning according to context. At times it denotes a domineering or overbearing individual, one who intimidates or mistreats others—a characterization evident in depictions of characters who bully magistrates or bully the weak into submission [1, 2, 3]. In other instances the word assumes a more lighthearted or even admiring tone, functioning as an exclamation of approval or a descriptor for someone robust and admirable, as when a character is hailed with a jubilant “bully!” affirming excellence or spirited quality [4, 5, 6]. This dual usage not only enriches character portrayals but also reflects the shifting cultural attitudes toward authority and valor throughout literary history [7, 8].
- How dare you bully a magistrate!' 'What!' exclaimed the old gentleman, reddening.
— from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - He was a dreadful person—a bully to everyone else, but to me something infinitely worse.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Nat gave in; not so much beaten, as cowed and mortified; and never afterwards tried to act the bully on board.
— from Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana - “I tell you it’s a bully story, Anne,” he said ecstatically.
— from Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery - I want you all to take a drink with me and Arkansas—old Arkansas, I call him—bully old Arkansas.
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain - 'first-rate!' 'bully!' were the usual replies.
— from Complete Prose Works by Walt Whitman - "What a determined and self-confident fellow he must be to even come and bully us; Mrs. Huang is his paternal aunt!
— from Hung Lou Meng, or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel, Book I by Xueqin Cao - He had had experience in puppy fights and was already something of a bully.
— from White Fang by Jack London
