Literary notes about paroxysm (AI summary)
The term "paroxysm" is frequently used by authors to depict sudden, intense bursts of emotion or physical reaction that disrupt a character’s usual composure. In works by Dumas, for example, it signifies overwhelming feelings ranging from grief ([1], [2], [3], [4]) to delight ([5]), while in Brontë’s narratives it encapsulates both pain and astonishment ([6]). Dickens and others employ it to illustrate violent outbursts of anger or agitation ([7], [8], [9]), highlighting the word’s capacity to capture moments of uncontrollable emotion. Beyond mere emotional description, paroxysms are also portrayed in more visceral or even comically exaggerated states—as exemplified in instances of sobbing or physical discomfort ([10], [11])—demonstrating its versatility in intensifying narrative drama.
- Maximilian V illefort rose, half-ashamed of being surprised in such a paroxysm of grief.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - and Milady twisted her arms as if in a paroxysm of grief.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Beauchamp, who had watched with sincere pity the young man’s paroxysm of grief, approached him.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - And then, falling upon the chair nearest the door, she burst into a paroxysm of sobs.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - cried Dantès in a paroxysm of delight.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - While I was speaking, a paroxysm of pain came on.
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë - His paroxysm of rage over, he went on his way without once looking back.
— from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - [ Again tears at the bracelet in a paroxysm of rage , with inarticulate sounds .
— from An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde - He turned away with a suppressed groan of agony, and paced the room again in a paroxysm of renewed agitation.
— from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë - The child, hearing its mother’s voice, broke out into a paroxysm of sobbing.
— from Dubliners by James Joyce - Then suddenly he slapped his thigh in a paroxysm of amusement.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
