Literary notes about derided (AI summary)
The word “derided” is often used in literature to evoke a sense of contempt or ridicule that can be both personal and political. Its usage spans from the sharp dismissals of lofty ideas and figures—such as the scornful portrayal of certain individuals and their thoughts in politically charged texts [1] and [2]—to its employment in narrative fiction to capture the anguish of characters feeling isolated by society [3]. Additionally, it serves a critical function by highlighting cultural or moral shortcomings, as authors infuse commentary steeped in irony and social critique [4] and [5]. In these contexts, “derided” powerfully conveys how characters or actions are belittled by others, underscoring the transformative impact of public scorn on personal identity and communal values [6].
- When as indeed, in all wise men's judgments, quibus cor sapit , they are [1936] mad, empty vessels, funges, beside themselves, derided,
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - But when the king derided Moses; he made him in earnest see the signs that were done at Mount Sinai.
— from Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus - Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.
— from Dubliners by James Joyce - For a hundred years, every newspaper scribbler had, with more or less obvious excuse, derided or abused the older Adamses for want of judgment.
— from The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams - At the gate of the town the grave-diggers met him: they shone their torch on his face, and, recognising Zarathustra, they sorely derided him.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - His simple notion of having a home of his own is derided as bourgeois, as sentimental, or as despicably Christian.
— from What's Wrong with the World by G. K. Chesterton
