Literary notes about dissentient (AI summary)
The term "dissentient" has been deployed in literature to capture both the presence and the notable absence of opposition. For instance, in Xenophon's Anabasis, the phrase "No dissentient voice was heard" [1] emphasizes a complete lack of counterargument or dissent, suggesting unanimity in a critical situation. Similarly, in Lang and Pollock’s narrative, the absence of any dissentient voice during a formal meeting accentuates order and agreement [2]. Contrasting these uses, Hawthorne’s depiction of a young, impassioned, yet almost absurd dissentient—babbling about a pumpkin—highlights how dissent can also emerge in unexpected, even humorous, forms [3]. This variety of usage underlines the word's flexibility in conveying both structured and spontaneous opposition across literary contexts.
- No dissentient voice was heard.
— from Anabasis by Xenophon - 'I move,' she said, 'that Mr. Jambres do take the chair at this meeting.' 'I second that proposal,' said I, and there was not a dissentient voice.
— from He by Andrew Lang and Walter Herries Pollock - The other dissentient was a young child, who squalled at the fullest stretch of his lungs, and babbled some unintelligible nonsense about a pumpkin.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne
