Literary notes about curse (AI summary)
The word "curse" functions in literature as a multifaceted device that can denote divine punishment, personal torment, or even societal stigma. In some works, it is presented as an inescapable retribution or fated doom—imparting an almost mystical weight seen in curses that mark wrongdoings or familial legacies [1, 2]. In other contexts, it takes on a metaphorical role, symbolizing the burdens of beauty or poverty that trap individuals in a cycle of despair [3, 4]. Authors also employ it to convey spontaneous expressions of anger or regret, illustrating the emotional power behind a few charged words [5, 6]. This diversity in usage illustrates how "curse" is adept at capturing both the supernatural and the existential dimensions of human experience.
- O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t,— A brother’s murder!
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - The father's blessing establisheth the houses of the children: but the mother's curse rooteth up the foundation.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - This was a young woman who possessed that which is ever a curse to the slave-girl; namely—personal beauty.
— from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass - I believe that poverty is the great curse of woman, and that she is powerless to assert her rights, because she is poor.
— from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper - , peering through his glasses towards the veiled sun, hurled a mute curse at the sky.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - Should she indeed awake, and see me, and curse me, and denounce the murderer?
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
