Literary notes about ecclesiastic (AI summary)
In literature, "ecclesiastic" serves as a versatile term for characters associated with the clergy or religious establishments, appearing in portrayals that range from the venerable and dignified to the humorously flawed. For instance, some writers use it to evoke a sense of authority and moral firmness [1, 2], while others cast ecclesiastics in everyday scenes—as benefactors of community rituals or inadvertent instigators of conflict [3, 4]. At times, the term underscores the intersection of sacred duty and worldly intrigue, pointing to figures involved in both clerical governance and intimate personal dramas [5, 6]. Through such varied usage, the word encapsulates the multifaceted role of churchmen in both the historical and literary imagination.
- It was just the time for this brilliant and able ecclesiastic to succeed.
— from The Religions of Japan, from the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by William Elliot Griffis - [141] St. Bernard de Clairvaux (1091-1153), French ecclesiastic.
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - The ecclesiastic passed the holy water sprinkler to his neighbour.
— from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - The ecclesiastic recited the short prayer that the students could afford to pay for, and then both priest and lackeys disappeared at once.
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac - It was originally held by an ecclesiastic, to whom were assigned, in times when the two Houses sat together, the clerical work of Parliament.
— from The Mother of Parliaments by Harry Graham - The count let him say on, and then forced him into a chair, and the unworthy ecclesiastic not only ate but got drunk.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
