Literary notes about seditious (AI summary)
Writers have long used "seditious" as a powerful descriptor for actions, words, and groups that challenge established authority. In historical narratives, it frequently appears to label radical behavior—from those who burn buildings and stir up mobs to individuals producing provocative literature that undermines social order [1][2][3]. Philosophical texts evoke the term to distinguish the separateness of a citizen’s soul from community reason, hinting at an inherent tension between individual ideologies and collective well-being [4]. At times, it is also applied to describe legal charges against conspiracies or libelous writings, underscoring the fraught boundary between free expression and the incitement of rebellion [5][6]. Overall, "seditious" is employed across genres to evoke a sense of unrest, dissent, and the potential threat to political stability.
- And now the seditious were contented with the victory they had gotten, and the buildings they had burnt down, and proceeded no further.
— from The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem by Flavius Josephus - In 1683 the actions of Archbishop Pardo became so violent and seditious that the Audiencia decreed his banishment to Pangasinan or Cagayan.
— from A History of the Philippines by David P. Barrows - Varus Composes The Tumults In Judea And Crucifies About Two Thousand Of The Seditious.
— from The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem by Flavius Josephus - He is the seditious citizen who separates his particular soul from the one soul of all reasonable beings. 30.
— from The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius - All his movements were closely watched, and a few days after his return he was arrested on the charge of having seditious literature in his baggage.
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal - Defoe was tried, found guilty of seditious libel, and sentenced to be fined, to stand three days in the pillory, and to be imprisoned.
— from English Literature by William J. Long
