Literary notes about demonstrator (AI summary)
The term "demonstrator" in literature is often used to designate someone engaged in the practical or illustrative aspects of teaching, particularly in scientific or technical fields. In Chekhov’s work, for example, the term connotes a role closely linked with the medical sciences, as seen when a character is described as a "dissecting demonstrator" [1]. H. G. Wells extends this idea in various contexts—from a demonstrator reading from the periodical while perched on an impromptu rostrum [2] to one who is formally associated with hospitals and laboratories, as evidenced by his role in a hospital ward [3] and his movements in a lab setting [4]. Additionally, Wells’ character in another narrative reflects on his status as a modest, provincial demonstrator [5], underscoring a social or academic positioning, while Conrad refers to a former assistant demonstrator in a specialized academic institute [6]. Collectively, these examples illustrate a recurring association with both the educational demonstration of complex subjects and the broader social nuances linked to such roles in literature.
- He was on the staff of two hospitals: in one a ward-surgeon and in the other a dissecting demonstrator.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - The professor was out of the room; the demonstrator sat aloft on his impromptu rostrum, reading the Q. Jour.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - It was in the rooms of Mr. Jacoby Wace, Assistant Demonstrator at St. Catherine's Hospital, Westbourne Street.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - The demonstrator turned, walked slowly back past the microtome, and left the laboratory by the preparation-room door.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - And I, a shabby, poverty-struck, hemmed-in demonstrator, teaching fools in a provincial college, might suddenly become—this.
— from The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance by H. G. Wells - His title to that designation consisted in his having been once assistant demonstrator in chemistry at some technical institute.
— from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad
