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Literary notes about ludicrous (AI summary)

The term “ludicrous” is deployed across literary works to evoke a sense of absurdity or sharp exaggeration, often highlighting the gap between appearance and reality. Authors harness it to depict everything from a bewildering mix of fear and perplexity in characters [1] to the critique of legal formalities or societal follies [2]. In some narratives, the word imbues a comic yet ironic tone that forces readers to question the seriousness of a situation, as seen when it underscores ridiculous character behavior or improbable scenarios [3, 4]. Whether used to illustrate a farcical gesture or to emphasize the inherently contradictory nature of human endeavors, “ludicrous” serves as a tool to blend humor with critical social commentary.
  1. The bewildered butler gazed from them towards Oliver, and from Oliver towards Mr. Losberne, with a most ludicrous mixture of fear and perplexity.
    — from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  2. I am by no means a wholesale admirer of our legal solemnities, many of which impress me as being exceedingly ludicrous.
    — from American Notes by Charles Dickens
  3. Some sense of the grimly-ludicrous moved me to a fretful laugh, as I replied, “I have looked over it.
    — from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  4. No theory of the ludicrous seems to offer a satisfactory answer to this very simple question.
    — from Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic by Henri Bergson

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