Literary notes about sulk (AI summary)
The word sulk is frequently employed to evoke moods of silent discontent and brooding melancholy across literature. It can describe a playful, almost whimsical state, such as a gentle, coy refusal of affection that borders on endearment [1], and it similarly captures the pouting behavior of a child who stubbornly refuses to eat [2] or a minor, fleeting fit of petulance in youth [3]. In more mature contexts, sulking reflects a calculated withdrawal from conflict, whether it be a politically inclined leader standing by his principles [4] or an individual silently nursing a grievance that foreshadows further action [5]. Additionally, some authors use the term metaphorically to mirror the gloomy temperament of nature itself—a sulk-soaked sky reflecting a brooding soul [6]. This versatility consolidates sulk as a potent literary device for portraying both the transient and the profound aspects of human emotion.
- If still she tried to sulk and sigh, And threw away my posies, I'd catch my darling on the sly, And smother her with roses!
— from The Lazy Minstrel by J. (Joseph) Ashby-Sterry - A child on board a slave-ship, of about ten months old, took sulk and would not eat.
— from The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament (1839) by Thomas Clarkson - The world is such a happy place That children, whether big or small, Should always have a smiling face And never, never sulk at all.
— from The Child's World: Third Reader by Hetty Sibyl Browne - When debarred from leadership he did not sulk in his tent, but threw his weight in the direction of his principles.
— from Albert Gallatin by John Austin Stevens - Ames then took his heavy toll, and retired within himself to sulk and plan future assaults and reprisals.
— from Carmen Ariza by Charles Francis Stocking - It did not rain, indeed, looked as if it were to be a prolonged sulk, and not a burst of tears.
— from Missy: A Novel by Miriam Coles Harris
