Literary notes about fortunate (AI summary)
Writers use “fortunate” to evoke both the serendipitous and the ironic, endowing characters and situations with unexpected benefits or twists of fate. In Dickens’ work, for instance, friendship is portrayed as a precious, almost divinely granted gift, suggesting that good fortune is intertwined with personal connection [1]. Jules Verne employs the term to describe a circumstance where nature’s fury is, paradoxically, a welcome reprieve for the colonists [2]. Meanwhile, Shakespeare weaves fortune into the fabric of valor and consequence, as seen in his reflections on the traits of a celebrated leader [3], and Austen hints at its social implications with a wry observation about personal advantage [4]. This diverse use of “fortunate” thus enriches literary narratives, underscoring how luck and circumstance shape human experience.
- Mr Swiveller, Sir, is fortunate enough to have your friendship.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - Nevertheless it was a fortunate circumstance for the colonists that the effusion of lava should have been in the direction of Lake Grant.
— from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - "It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of to yours."
— from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
