Literary notes about indolent (AI summary)
The term "indolent" is employed in literature to evoke a spectrum of qualities ranging from habitual laziness and inactivity to a languid, almost serene detachment. In some works, it is used pejoratively to critique a lack of ambition or diligence, as seen when characters are depicted as slothful or unwilling to exert themselves ([1], [2], [3]). In other instances, however, it takes on a more nuanced role, describing an unhurried, contemplative state that, while seemingly idle, carries an air of refined repose or passive resistance to societal pressures ([4], [5], [6]). This varied usage highlights the word’s flexibility, enabling authors to explore both the moral implications of lethargy and its potential as a stylistic device in creating a distinct mood or character persona ([7], [8]).
- You’re too fastidious, and too indolent, and too rich.”
— from The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1 by Henry James - He was as indolent as ever and showed no very strenuous desire to hunt up an occupation.
— from The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain - The fruits of intellect do not grow among the indolent rich.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - In a swinging hammock lying, Lightly flying, Zara, lovely indolent, O'er a fountain's crystal wave There to lave Her young beauty—see her bent.
— from Poems by Victor Hugo - The waves, too, nodded their indolent crests; and across the wide trance of the sea, east nodded to west, and the sun over all.
— from Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville - I gave every afternoon totally up to my indolent and careless disposition, and to following without regularity the impulse of the moment.
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - On account of the abundance which the soil produces, the people are lazy and indolent in their mode of life.
— from The Geography of Strabo, Volume 3 (of 3) by Strabo - There was nothing indolent about him, but his appearance spoke of tranquillity.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne