Literary notes about paternal (AI summary)
The term "paternal" in literature is employed in a richly varied manner, capturing both the warmth and complexity of fatherly attributes. Authors use it to evoke deep feelings of nurturing affection and guidance—as seen when a character suffers under the weight of his "paternal love" [1] or when paternal tenderness is celebrated in exclamations of wonder [2]. At the same time, the word signifies authority, inheritance, and lineage, underscoring the cultural importance of blood ties and legacy [3, 4, 5]. In some instances, "paternal" subtly critiques familial and political power structures, whether by highlighting conciliatory advice delivered with fatherly caution [6, 7, 8] or by drawing attention to the weight of tradition and legal inheritance [9, 10]. Across texts ranging from classical epics to modern novels [11, 12, 13], this multifaceted term enriches character development and deepens the exploration of social and familial dynamics.
- Months passed without his seeing her again, but he suffered, day and night, for he was a prey to his paternal love.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - Was there ever such an Image of Paternal Tenderness!
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele - By the right of primogeniture the paternal estate would go to the oldest son.
— from A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States by George T. Flom - To this I added the surname of my father, who had himself no legal right to it; for my grandfather on the paternal side was a white gentleman.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - The eldest son is always named after the paternal grandfather, and the second after the father.
— from Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 7 of 7 by Edgar Thurston - "He gazes at me as if he were about to utter a word of paternal advice."
— from Twice-told tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne - At any time they have consulted my judgment, I never stuck to give them sharp and paternal counsels, and to pinch them to the quick.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne - This was the first time Morrel had ever so spoken, but he said it in a tone of paternal kindness, and Julie did not dare to disobey.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - VI. OF PATERNAL POWER.
— from Second Treatise of Government by John Locke - Dated at our paternal seat, this 13th day of June.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais - ‘Tis hard to shew a more vehement paternal affection than this.
— from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne - And what will become of this paternal power in that part of the world, where one woman hath more than one husband at a time?
— from Second Treatise of Government by John Locke - D’Artagnan left M. de Treville, touched more than ever by his paternal solicitude for his Musketeers.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
