Literary notes about earnest (AI summary)
In literature, the term “earnest” is employed to convey a deep sincerity and gravity of purpose, often marking characters or moments of intense, unwavering commitment. Authors use it to indicate both the inner conviction of an individual—as when a character speaks in sincere tones or acts out of genuine intent ([1], [2], [3])—and a societal call to serious action, whether in reform or personal duty ([4], [5], [6]). It may also contrast levity with solemnity, highlighting a tension between jest and genuine feeling ([7], [8], [9]). Whether describing a reflective soul steeped in meditation or a determined troop set to work, “earnest” enriches narratives by underscoring both emotional depth and resolute purpose ([10], [11], [12]).
- Never mind, I may be stupid, but I’m in earnest, in earnest.”
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Nicholas gave the promise; he had few words to give it in, but they were solemn and earnest.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - I felt inclined to say a few earnest words.
— from The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - Does not the abuse of the religious element in woman demand our earnest attention and investigation?
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I - I had, besides all this, an earnest desire to see the great men of the earth.
— from The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon by Washington Irving - Miss Bart, accordingly, rose the next morning with the most earnest conviction that it was her duty to go to church.
— from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - ‘Then give me that, meantime, to comfort me,’ said he, half jestingly and half in earnest, extending his hand for the sprig of myrtle.
— from Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë - Perhaps, too, he is ironically repeating the common language of mankind about philosophy, and is turning their jest into a sort of earnest.
— from Phaedrus by Plato - “Lord, Ma’am,” cried he, “how should I suppose you was in earnest?
— from Evelina, Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World by Fanny Burney - Very well? O.M. The humble, earnest, and sincere Truth-Seeker is always convertible by such means.
— from What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain - He was vehement, eloquent, earnest; a judge for Bonaparte, a friend for the soldiers.
— from The History of a Crime by Victor Hugo - They hesitate, and they regret, and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect.
— from On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
