Literary notes about weary (AI summary)
The word "weary" in literature serves as a multifaceted descriptor that conveys both physical exhaustion and deeper emotional fatigue. It often appears in passages portraying characters physically drained by long journeys or relentless labor, such as those exhausted by sleeplessness or grueling travel [1][2][3]. At other times, the term conveys an inner weariness—a mental or spiritual depletion born of life's monotony or overwhelming burdens, as seen in reflections on the stale and unprofitable nature of existence [4][5]. Authors use "weary" not only to illustrate the toll of hard work or long days [6][7] but also to evoke a mood of disillusionment and resigned perseverance, enriching character portrayals and deepening thematic resonance [8][9]. This versatility underscores its enduring appeal as a literary device, adeptly capturing the varied dimensions of human fatigue.
- Weary and exhausted from sleeplessness I threw myself upon the ground commanding Woola to stand guard.
— from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs - They were all thirsty, weary, and footsore.
— from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - In the evening she came to a little cottage, and went in there to rest, for her weary feet would carry her no further.
— from Grimm's Fairy Stories by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare - Verily Thou art my God, and I am Thy poor servant, who am bound to serve Thee with all my strength, nor ought I ever to grow weary of Thy praise.
— from The Imitation of Christ by à Kempis Thomas - So broke up, and I to my office, then about letters and other businesses very late, and so home to supper, weary with business, and to bed. 4th.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - Being weary yesterday with walking I sleep long, and at last up and to the office, where all the morning.
— from The Diary of Samuel Pepys — Complete by Samuel Pepys - It’s a weary life for an old man—a weary, weary life—but there is a great end to gain and that I keep before me.’
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - Her face looked weary and careworn, but her eyes glowed under her frowning brows.
— from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky