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Literary notes about thrifty (AI summary)

"Thrifty" is portrayed in literature as a marker of both economic prudence and practical resourcefulness. Writers often use the term to describe characters who manage limited resources skillfully, as seen in the depiction of a industrious Swedish farm woman who "would manage well" [1] or in a character noted for his industrious nature and careful counsel [2]. In other contexts, the word takes on a cautionary tone; for instance, a character in a satirical narrative is criticized for being excessively thrifty, to the point of self-deprivation [3, 4]. Beyond character traits, "thrifty" also shapes the description of settings—urban landscapes and humble dwellings are rendered balanced and efficient, suggesting a broader cultural admiration for practical frugality [5, 6, 7]. This multifaceted usage highlights how thriftiness, whether as an admired quality or a subtle critique, serves as an important thematic element in literature, reflecting both individual character and societal values [8, 9].
  1. [96] Mrs. Christopherson was a thrifty Swedish farm woman who would manage well.
    — from Land of the Burnt Thigh by Edith Eudora Kohl
  2. He was thrifty, industrious, and kept his own counsel.
    — from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers
  3. I told my wife, “she had been too thrifty, for I found she had starved herself and her daughter to nothing.”
    — from Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World by Jonathan Swift
  4. I told my wife she had been too thrifty, for I found she had starved herself and her daughter to nothing.
    — from Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Regions of the World by Jonathan Swift
  5. Under a pacific and thrifty Government taxation had been light beyond precedent.
    — from Queen Elizabeth by Edward Spencer Beesly
  6. The trees looked thrifty, and had just begun to bear fruit.
    — from Trip to the West and Texas comprising a journey of eight thousand miles, through New-York, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas, in the autumn and winter of 1834-5. by A. A. (Amos Andrew) Parker
  7. It was a long time before she returned,—so long that aunt Ann exhausted the still, and [Pg 251] turned again to her thrifty knitting.
    — from Tiverton Tales by Alice Brown
  8. Daniel and Susannah were thrifty New England Puritans, leading members of the Baptist denomination and parishioners of the widely known Elder Leland.
    — from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper
  9. I owe much to my mother's training and to a good line of Scotch ancestors, who have always been thrifty and economical.
    — from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden

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