Literary notes about resent (AI summary)
In literature, "resent" is used to convey a spectrum of emotional responses—from mild hurt to explosive indignation. Authors often employ the term to illustrate a character’s unconscious reluctance to accept an insult or an unwanted imposition, as when unspoken grievances simmer beneath calm exteriors ([1], [2]). At other moments it signals a thoughtful, self-aware response to perceived overreach or injustice, reflecting an inner struggle to balance propriety and personal dignity ([3], [4]). The word also appears in broader contexts, capturing collective or institutional displeasure in the face of societal and political impositions ([5], [6]). Even when the reaction seems almost instinctive, as if a natural defense against criticism or unintended harm, "resent" retains its delicate tension between passive acceptance and active protest ([7], [8]). Overall, its varied use across different narratives enriches character development and deepens the exploration of personal and cultural conflicts.
- I did not resent it, I am a timid man; but here they have actually made me out mad.
— from Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Do you think , said Socrates, that if an ass happened to kick me, I should resent it ?
— from The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer: the Wisdom of Life by Arthur Schopenhauer - They talked little, for Janet seemed faintly to resent Anne’s efforts to cheer her up.
— from Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery - “And pray what might you want with him ?” retorted my sister, quick to resent his being wanted at all.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - It is natural to resent, and to repel or retaliate, any harm done or attempted against ourselves, or against those with whom we sympathize.
— from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill - Then look at those who call themselves anarchists, who resent the imposition of power, in any form whatever, upon the individual.
— from Nationalism by Rabindranath Tagore - “You thought I would be afraid to resent this,” he said, with just a faint tinge of bitterness.
— from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad - From the cab-driver down to—to Giotto, they turn us inside out, and I resent it.
— from A Room with a View by E. M. Forster