Literary notes about unhappy (AI summary)
The term "unhappy" in literature frequently conveys a profound sense of sorrow, misfortune, or inner turmoil, functioning both as a marker of individual distress and as a symbol of larger societal or historical decay. Authors employ it to underscore the emotional weight of personal relationships—whether illustrating the pitiful plight of a wronged wife [1] or the forlorn resignation of a tormented soul [2]—and to comment on broader tragic realities, such as the doomed reign of a ruler [3] or the persistent melancholy of a character facing relentless adversity [4]. In its varied applications from epic narratives to intimate character studies, "unhappy" not only deepens our understanding of the characters' predicament but also enriches the text with an enduring note of inevitability and existential woe [5], [6].
- I do not want people to begin gossiping about that unhappy woman who has the right, unfortunately, to call herself my wife."
— from A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant - This was no infidelity to Cosette; it was a gentle and pensive farewell to an unhappy soul.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - 2 Paralipomenon Chapter 28 The wicked and unhappy reign of Achaz.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - She knew only that he was terribly, infinitely unhappy.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The wound not mortal wise Ulysses knew, Then furious thus (but first some steps withdrew): "Unhappy man!
— from The Iliad by Homer - he said, in a forlorn manner, ‘I am an unhappy man to see you thus!
— from Hard Times by Charles Dickens
