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Literary notes about unconcern (AI summary)

In literature, the term unconcern is often employed to convey a range of attitudes from cool detachment to feigned nonchalance. Authors use it to illustrate how characters might mask deeper emotions or responsibilities behind a veneer of indifference—as seen in Hardy’s portrayal of a character preoccupied with trivial details despite underlying tensions [1], or in Montgomery’s depiction of Josie’s airy disregard for minor obstacles [2]. At times, unconcern signals a deliberate performance of insouciance in social contexts, whether to soften an otherwise harsh reality or to underscore the character’s emotional isolation, as in Dostoyevsky’s Kirillov [3] and the pragmatic detachment found in Jane Eyre’s world [4]. This multifaceted use enriches narrative tone and deepens character portrayal by juxtaposing casual attitudes with the weight of more serious circumstances.
  1. "Well, I can't mind the exact day without looking at my memorandum-book," replied Crick, with the same intolerable unconcern.
    — from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy
  2. Josie walked the Barry fence with an airy unconcern which seemed to imply that a little thing like that wasn’t worth a “dare.”
    — from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
  3. “I thought you were seeking it,” Kirillov commented with terrible unconcern.
    — from The possessed : by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  4. But he said, with an air of unconcern— "As you please; but I'll have a draught of ale first."
    — from Silas Marner by George Eliot

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