Literary notes about flatulence (AI summary)
The word "flatulence" appears in literature in a variety of contexts, ranging from the mundane to the metaphorical. In Joyce’s work, it is mentioned in a practical query seeking relief—a marker of everyday, physical discomfort [1]—while Chekhov describes it as part of a cascade of unsettling symptoms that tie the bodily experience to emotional distress [2]. Katherine Mansfield uses the term in an almost metaphorical listing of misfortunes, blending the literal with the symbolic in her characterizations [3]. In contrast, Molière incorporates flatulence into the realm of satire and medicine, suggesting both a humorous and a clinical approach to its treatment [4]. Finally, earlier medical texts also document flatulence, noting its alleviation through natural remedies, thereby underscoring its longstanding presence as a concern in both literature and medical discourse [5].
- Dear Mr Editor, what is a good cure for flatulence?
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - He ate it and felt at once as though the fish were heaving in a chilly lump in his stomach; it was followed by flatulence, heartburn, and pain.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - “liver frozen, my dear girl,” or “pure flatulence,” or “kidney disease,” . . .
— from Bliss, and other stories by Katherine Mansfield - "Item, on the 26th, a carminative clyster to cure the flatulence of Mr. Argan, thirty sous."
— from The Imaginary Invalid by Molière - The grated root drunk with wine relieves painful flatulence.
— from The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by T. H. Pardo de Tavera
