Literary notes about meanspirited (AI summary)
The word "meanspirited" is deployed in literature to cast characters or behaviors in a harsh, critical light. It is used as a pointed epithet to denounce individuals who act with cruelty or malice, as when a character is labeled a "meanspirited hound" to emphasize his spitefulness [1]. It also conveys the idea of caustic or biting criticism, particularly in literary or artistic circles where words serve as weapons [2]. Furthermore, it is employed to critique those who deliberately undermine talented individuals, thereby poisoning the stage with their enmity [3]. In addition to highlighting interpersonal conflicts, the term can be used to distinguish those who live harmoniously from those whose disposition is pervaded by bitterness [4]. Occasionally, it appears in direct admonishments aimed at unfairness or incompetence in creative expression [5] and is even extended metaphorically to describe the inherent mercenary nature of certain trades [6]. Ultimately, the label challenges the moral character of individuals, questioning whether one can truly live without embracing such negativity [7].
- remonstrated Bräsig.--"Meanspirited hound!"--"You're a rud
— from An Old Story of My Farming Days Vol. 3 (of 3). (Ut Mine Stromtid) by Fritz Reuter - This is how the Brit rags write—it’s all meanspirited sniping.”
— from Makers by Cory Doctorow - I mean the practice of certain meanspirited wretches, who bear malice towards particular performers, and make parties to hiss them off the stage.
— from The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 6, June 1810 - They are but few and meanspirited that live in peace with all men.
— from Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 01 Little Journeys to the Homes of Good Men and Great by Elbert Hubbard - You are unfair, meanspirited, and you write badly.
— from Makers by Cory Doctorow - Father is no artist, he is a trader in music, and he is meanspirited as all tradespeople are.
— from My Austrian LoveThe History of the Adventures of an English Composer in Vienna. Written in the Trenches by Himself by Maxime Provost - Can you be such a meanspirited creature as not even to have the courage to live?”
— from The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne : a Novel by William John Locke
