Literary notes about trouble (AI summary)
Writers have long used “trouble” to convey a range of difficulties—from physical hardships and emotional turmoil to the minor inconveniences of daily life. In epic narratives, it can denote the burdens borne by heroes in their arduous journeys, as when a character recounts personal suffering that brings hardship to themselves and others ([1]). In dramatic and comical works, it sometimes emerges as a courteous request or a subtle way of underscoring social obligation ([2], [3]). On a more intimate level, authors use the word to reveal internal conflicts or relational strains that unsettle a character’s peace of mind ([4], [5], [6]). Moreover, historical and philosophical writings often employ “trouble” to signal larger disturbances, whether in the form of societal challenges or inevitable human predicaments ([7], [8]). This versatility enriches narrative depth by associating the term with both minor mishaps and profound personal or collective disruption.
- Ulysses in his turn told her what he had suffered, and how much trouble he had himself given to other people.
— from The Odyssey by Homer - not my neck enough.—I trouble you, sir; Let me request you, bid one of my women
— from Volpone; Or, The Fox by Ben Jonson - Lady Bellaston made a civil speech upon the word trouble; to which the squire answered—“Why, that's kind—and I would do as much for your ladyship.
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding - What with this trouble about the baily, and now about the girl, mis'ess is almost wild.
— from Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - "I would rather share all the trouble of our parting.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - I felt now as composed as ever I did in my life: there was nothing indeed in the gipsy’s appearance to trouble one’s calm.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - The rabbinical legend was, that two eminent angels, Asa and Asael, remonstrated with the Creator on having formed man only to give trouble.
— from Demonology and Devil-lore by Moncure Daniel Conway - At the time this trouble seemed very grave and brought them much unhappiness.
— from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller