Literary notes about consequence (AI summary)
In literature, “consequence” serves as a flexible device to denote outcomes—sometimes dramatic, sometimes seemingly trivial. Authors employ it to illustrate the effects of events or actions, marking both the gravitas of irreversible decisions and the mundane results of daily occurrences. For instance, in some works the term highlights the severe aftermath of a life-altering treatment or an oppressive regime [1, 2, 3], while in others it is used to stress an outcome of little significance or a casual, almost dismissive reaction [4, 5, 6]. Additionally, “consequence” underpins both concrete cause‐and‐effect relationships, as in legal, political, or natural phenomena [7, 8, 9], and more abstract, personal transformations that propel the narrative forward [10, 11, 12].
- I suffered in consequence of this treatment; but I begged my friends to let me die, rather than send for the doctor.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - In addition to, and perhaps partly as a consequence of, this state of things, there was trouble brewing on board the vessel.
— from Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana - Nothing less than a servile war with its certain horrors and its doubtful issues must have been the consequence.
— from St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon by J. B. Lightfoot - It was because he had made a serious affair of an idle matter, by thinking of it as if it were of any consequence.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot - My father and mother's having no notice of it is of very little consequence.
— from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - “No, but that’s of no consequence, as everybody is sure he did it.”
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - Charges of fraud and extortion were brought against tradesmen of good character in consequence of the great inducements held out to common informers.
— from Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay - An army was sent to demand their surrender, and hostility was proclaimed as the consequence of refusal.
— from Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3 by James Tod - Her acquaintance have observed, that this was the consequence of new-fangled notions—the new-fangled notions of ease and cleanliness.
— from A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft - She was received with a cordial respect which could not but please, and given all the consequence she could wish for.
— from Emma by Jane Austen - But other people’s criticisms, whatever they might be, had yet immense consequence in his eyes, and they agitated him to the depths of his soul.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - And as a consequence of that satisfaction, Veda obtained good fortune and universal knowledge.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
