Literary notes about dolt (AI summary)
The term “dolt” in literature is deployed as a pointed epithet to denote foolishness or lack of common sense, often conveying both scorn and humor. Writers use the word to characterize characters as mindless or inept, as seen when it is hurled in frustration during heated exchanges—“You ignorant dolt!” [1]—or when self-deprecation surfaces in reflective moments, “I'm Ben Van Vechten—the veriest dolt in school, they say” [2]. Its usage spans a range of contexts, from describing hapless actors in domestic scenes—like the husband who surreptitiously misplaces funds [3]—to critiquing individuals for their bumbling incompetence in more satirical passages [4]. Overall, “dolt” emerges as a flexible literary device, embodying both insult and irony to underscore characters' deficiencies.
- "You ignorant dolt!" said a Raven wise Who sat on the wall bright in feather— "You must have been blind.
— from The Death of Saul and other Eisteddfod Prize Poems and Miscellaneous Verses by J. C. Manning - I'm Ben Van Vechten—the veriest dolt in school, they say.
— from Rosamond, or, the Youthful Error: A Tale of Riverside; And Other Stories by Mary Jane Holmes - Now for the moral of this story: When we came to pay our bill, the dolt of a husband took the money and put it in his pocket.
— from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper - [Exit.] FAULKLAND She's gone—for ever!—There was an awful resolution in her manner, that riveted me to my place.—O fool!—dolt!—barbarian!
— from The Rivals: A Comedy by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
