Literary notes about confounding (AI summary)
In literature, "confounding" is often used to indicate a deliberate or accidental mixing up of ideas, identities, or appearances. Writers employ the term to signal the puzzling blurring of boundaries between distinct concepts—whether it is the misidentification of characters or the merging of historical figures ([1], [2]) or the deliberate questioning of clear-cut narratives that force the reader to reconsider accepted distinctions ([3], [4]). It can also underscore a state of bewilderment or cognitive dissonance when familiar elements are rendered strangely ambiguous or contradictory, as in moments when the unexpected nature of events challenges our usual perceptions ([5], [6]). This multifaceted use highlights how confusion, whether used to invite reflection or to critique oversimplifications, remains a powerful literary device.
- In the translation of Babur’s Memoirs , Udai Singh is styled ‘Wali of the country,’ confounding him with Udai Singh, successor of Sanga.
— from Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3 by James Tod - [660] Strabo here commits the singular error of confounding the Lake Asphaltites, or the Dead Sea, with the Lake Sirbonis.
— from The Geography of Strabo, Volume 3 (of 3) by Strabo - But are you not confounding, in your criticism, the sublimity of the problems with the conspicuousness of their manifestations?
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - Both Luther and Calvin used the word regeneration in a loose way, confounding it with sanctification.
— from Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3) by Augustus Hopkins Strong - The sense of her own dulness in never having pierced the heart of his mystery was even more confounding.
— from At the Gate of Samaria by William John Locke - I know very well that this is confounding.
— from Là-bas by J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans
