Literary notes about condition (AI summary)
The word "condition" in literature functions as a multifaceted term, evoking both physical states and abstract stipulations. It frequently denotes a measurable state of being—as when a character’s physical or social status is highlighted, such as the downgrade of a family member to visitor status [1] or the depiction of someone’s critical health [2]. At the same time, writers employ it to express preconditions or limitations in interpersonal agreements and actions; for example, a promise given only on certain terms [3, 4, 5] and the requirement for a change in circumstance [6, 7]. In more abstract discourse, "condition" frames the philosophical or societal context that underpins entire narratives, serving as the backdrop for discussions of mental state or historical analysis [8, 9, 10]. Thus, whether describing tangible physical states [11, 12] or eliciting a broader commentary on societal circumstances [13, 14, 15], the term effectively bridges the personal and the universal in literary texts.
- CHAPTER 2 Mrs. John Dashwood now installed herself mistress of Norland; and her mother and sisters-in-law were degraded to the condition of visitors.
— from Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - The doctor said in a troubled voice that the boy's condition was very critical.
— from The Hungry Stones, and Other Stories by Rabindranath Tagore - On that condition he gave her the gird; and rising early next morning he went to the yard where the boat was
— from The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans-Wentz - “Ask it, ask your question for God’s sake,” Shatov repeated in indescribable excitement, “but on condition that I ask you a question too.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - He never went anywhere except on condition of being the chief person there.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - I give myself to you without any condition, with no restriction; I am yours, I will take care of you.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - Into this house he brought Eliza; and, on condition of her living with him, she and her children were to be emancipated.
— from Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup - [329] He found that "the most favorable condition for the doubling of the mind was its simultaneous applicatio
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James - These may all be annihilated in thought, but time itself, as the universal condition of their possibility, cannot be so annulled.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - But every change stands under its condition, which precedes it in time and renders it necessary.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - As soon as we got the cabins in condition to be used, I determined to clear up some land so that we could plant a crop.
— from Up from Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington - The condition of public affairs also, in some degree, affected his health injuriously.
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano - No portion of literature is connected by closer or more numerous ties with the present condition of society than the drama.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 2 by Alexis de Tocqueville - We must first look at the general condition of European States at the time from which the narrative starts.
— from The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 by A. T. Mahan - They've all made their fortunes, and they are living in houses of their own, and meanwhile the population is in just as helpless a condition as ever.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
