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Literary notes about felicity (AI summary)

Literary authors have long used the term to denote an elusive state of bliss or joyous fulfillment, one that can be as much a lofty ideal as a tangible experience of happiness. At times, writers present felicity as a delicate counterpoint to the pain of lost passion or as the very reward of moral virtue—a state so intense that it transforms ordinary moments into rare treasures [1], [2]. In works that traverse political treatises and theological discourses, felicity transcends mere earthly pleasure to become an emblem of divine favor or the ultimate goal of societal well-being [3], [4], [5]. Meanwhile, in narratives focused on personal relationships, its appearance, whether fleeting or profound, underscores the tensions between human desire and the often transient nature of true contentment [6], [7], [8].
  1. And Emma tried to find out what one meant exactly in life by the words felicity, passion, rapture, that had seemed to her so beautiful in books.
    — from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
  2. In order to insure the happiness of my future life, I was beginning to be the executioner of my present felicity, and the tormentor of my heart.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  3. Next, I ask, how is it that the Roman empire had already immensely increased before any one worshipped Felicity?
    — from The City of God, Volume I by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine
  4. So, they say, when Felicitas is called a goddess, what is meant is not the thing itself which is given, but that deity by whom felicity is given.
    — from The City of God, Volume I by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine
  5. Concerning the one God only to be worshipped, who, although His name is unknown, is yet deemed to be the giver of felicity.
    — from The City of God, Volume I by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine
  6. Till the next morning, however, she was not aware of all the felicity of her contrivance.
    — from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  7. And let me, my dear Sir, with a grateful heart let me own, I never before passed half an hour in such perfect felicity.
    — from Evelina, Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World by Fanny Burney
  8. Silence lasted rather a long time, but that unnatural felicity was imperfect, and increased my excitement.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova

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