Literary notes about punitive (AI summary)
The term "punitive" has been employed in literature to evoke a sense of retribution or imposed penalty in various contexts, ranging from military actions to legal damages. In historical narratives, for instance, it is used to describe military expeditions intended to penalize or suppress rebellious behavior, as seen in accounts of punitive expeditions against tribes and revolts [1, 2, 3]. In legal and contractual texts, the adjective qualifies damages or clauses that are designed to penalize an offending party beyond mere compensation, illustrated by its application in discussions of punitive damages and breach-of-contract clauses [4, 5, 6, 7]. This dual usage underscores the broader thematic role of "punitive" in literature—as a marker of measures intended to enforce discipline and exact retribution across both governmental and legal spheres.
- Chang Yu tells the following anecdote of P`ei Hsing-chien (A.D. 619-682), who was sent on a punitive expedition against the Turkic tribes.
— from The Art of War by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi - These men may be used down to the very bone, and shot and maimed in "punitive" expeditions when they revolt.
— from Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. Du Bois - Confucius said, 'When good government prevails in the empire, ceremonies, music, and punitive military expeditions proceed from the son of Heaven.
— from The Analects of Confucius (from the Chinese Classics) by Confucius - INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
— from Divina Commedia di Dante: Inferno by Dante Alighieri - INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
— from The Imitation of Christ by à Kempis Thomas - Before the Congress, February 11 .—"There shall be no annexations, no contributions, no punitive damages ....
— from The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes - “The punitive clause for breach of contract,” Alexander went on inexorably, “is very broad.
— from The Lani People by Jesse F. Bone
