Literary notes about supererogatory (AI summary)
In literature, "supererogatory" is often used to describe actions or qualities that go well beyond what is necessary, sometimes with a tone of ironic criticism or reluctant admiration. Writers deploy the term to highlight those extra, sometimes redundant, aspects—whether it is a character’s excessive commentary on nature ([1]) or an act of courtesy rendered more elaborate than expected ([2]). Its usage spans contexts from moral philosophy, where acts of virtue exceeding duty are scrutinized ([3], [4]), to the realm of everyday interactions, suggesting that certain behaviors, though kind, might be unnecessary ([5]). In many narratives, the word accentuates not only the superfluous but also invites readers to consider the balance between what is required and what is gratuitously performed, thereby enriching the texture of character and setting across genres.
- To Milly this ceaseless effort to comment on nature had something of the ridiculous,—perhaps supererogatory would be a better word.
— from One Woman's Life by Robert Herrick - An act of such supererogatory courtesy was not expected of him.
— from The Stronger Influence by F. E. Mills (Florence Ethel Mills) Young - So far as the speaker's companion was concerned, my injunction was supererogatory.
— from Jonah and Co. by Dornford Yates - Maimonides also asserts the doctrine of supererogatory works: see p. 237 of H. H. Bernard's Selections from the Yad Hachazakah of Maimonides.
— from The Destiny of the Soul: A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by William Rounseville Alger - He put his finger to her cheek in reproof of such supererogatory counsel to a man famous for his punctuality.
— from Beauchamp's Career — Volume 7 by George Meredith
