Literary notes about espouse (AI summary)
In literature, the term espouse is employed both to denote the act of taking up or adopting a cause and to refer to the act of marrying or formally uniting with another. It is used, for example, to express a strong ideological commitment—whether championing political or religious beliefs, as when a character boldly supports a controversial side [1][2][3][4]—or to describe the formal act of entering into matrimony, as seen in passages where an individual is destined or compelled to wed someone significant, sometimes for political or symbolic reasons [5][6][7][8]. This dual usage enriches narratives by linking personal relationships with broader social or ideological stakes, highlighting the interplay between private affection and public or political allegiance.
- To openly espouse the cause of Brant was to declare war.
— from The Land of the Miamis An Account of the Struggle to Secure Possession of the North-West from the End of the Revolution until 1812 by Elmore Barce - He is not afraid of ridicule, of taunts or jeers, and I am sure would never hesitate to espouse the cause of the downtrodden and oppressed."
— from The Thorn in the Nest by Martha Finley - Thereafter he was inclined to espouse the cause of democracy and the Gazette came to be regarded as the democratic newspaper of Linn county.
— from History of Linn County Iowa From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time [1911] by Luther Albertus Brewer - Every government would espouse the common cause.
— from The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison - He was to proceed to France, espouse the bride in the king's name, and convey her to England.
— from Margaret of AnjouMakers of History by Jacob Abbott - And I will espouse thee to me in faith: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Accordingly, sitting up with him in bed, she put a ring into his hand and made him espouse her
— from The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio by Giovanni Boccaccio - When I left college, I was sent out to Jamaica, to espouse a bride already courted for me.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
