Literary notes about lax (AI summary)
The word "lax" in literature takes on layered meanings, serving both as a marker of physical looseness and a critique of leniency in discipline or morality. It is used to evoke the image of something loose or unrestrained, as when a medicine renders the womb lax [1] or when a character’s embrace is described as lax [2]. At the same time, authors employ the term to denote a decline in rigor or order, whether in legal or governmental contexts [3] or in the broader realm of moral standards [4]. This flexible descriptor enriches narrative tone, inviting readers to consider both tangible softness and abstract negligence in social or institutional settings [5, 6].
- And men put it in medicines for rich men to make the womb lax, and to purge evil blood.
— from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville - She freed herself from his lax embraces without difficulty.
— from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad - The consequences of a lax or inefficient government are too obvious to be dwelt upon.
— from A Source Book in American History to 1787 - Noble contrast to the lax morality so common among foreign politicians.’
— from An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde - In the enforcement of his rules, he was at times rigid, and at times lax.
— from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass - Mrs. Mary Ann Clarke was of humble parentage, of a lively and sprightly temperament, and of decidedly lax morality.
— from The Dawn of the XIXth Century in England: A social sketch of the times by John Ashton
