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Literary notes about indignation (AI summary)

In literature, indignation functions as a vehicle for expressing a burst of righteous or personal anger, often tied to moral conviction or a sense of injustice. Authors use the term to highlight both public outcry and internal emotional strife. For instance, in works dealing with political and historical themes, indignation underscores the collective discontent of a people, as seen when popular outrage erupts over controversial measures [1] and when an entire nation feels beleaguered by external threats [2]. In contrast, literary characters sometimes experience indignation as an inward, burning passion that clashes with grief or despair, mirroring the internal conflicts of personal morality and justice [3], [4]. Overall, indignation emerges as a transformative emotion that both illuminates and propels narratives of ethical struggle and societal critique.
  1. The defeat of this measure raised a storm of popular indignation.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  2. The [Pg 343] Romans [felt] greater indignation, than alarm, at the inroads of the Tarquinians.
    — from The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08 by Livy
  3. Meantime, my brain was on fire with indignation, and my heart seemed ready to burst from its prison with conflicting passions.
    — from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
  4. " A flash of indignation might have been seen in Bathsheba's dark eyes as she looked resolutely ahead after this reply.
    — from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

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