Literary notes about rascal (AI summary)
Across a wide range of literary works, the term "rascal" is employed to evoke both humor and disdain depending on context. It is often used to characterize individuals whose mischievous or unscrupulous behavior invites both playful admonishment and serious reproach. For instance, it appears as a label for a cunning, even if lovable, troublemaker in a playful taunt ([1], [2]), while authors also utilize it to underscore a character’s inherent dishonesty or dangerous nature ([3], [4]). The word's versatility is further evident in its use among both social outcasts and refined figures, lending a tone that can be either affectionate or cutting, as seen in portrayals ranging from Shakespearean retorts ([5], [6]) to the more somber judgments of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky ([7], [8]).
- ‘You—you are a nice rascal, arn’t you?’ exclaimed Wardle, breathless with passion.
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing.
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare - A liberal education only renders a rascal more dishonest, more dangerous.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - For what would they risk their rascal carcasses but money?”
— from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - [Aside] Here comes a flattering rascal; upon him Will I first work.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand!
— from The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare - “If he had only cut one here and there it would have been bad enough,” thought Pahom, “but the rascal has actually cut down a whole clump.
— from What Men Live By, and Other Tales by graf Leo Tolstoy - Of course, the worst of it is that, knowing he was a rascal, and a card-sharper, I none the less played palki with him, and risked my last rouble.
— from The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
