Literary notes about nadir (AI summary)
In literature, "nadir" is often employed as a metaphor for the lowest or most disastrous point in a character’s life or a historical narrative. Its usage ranges from describing a clear moral or personal downfall—as when Seneca reaches the nadir of his moral degradation [1] or when a character’s fortunes plunge to the nadir of despair [2, 3]—to a more literal description, marking the point in the celestial sphere directly beneath the observer [4]. Authors sometimes even weave the word into puns that contrast the nadir with the zenith, thereby emphasizing the stark difference between success and failure [5, 6]. In this way, "nadir" not only encapsulates the idea of a low ebb or decline but also enriches the narrative with layers of irony and dramatic contrast.
- The author of this shameful document was Seneca, and in composing it he reached the nadir of his moral degradation.
— from Seekers after God by F. W. (Frederic William) Farrar - Ere now the outlook had been dark; but this he felt to be the absolute nadir of his misfortunes.
— from The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance - From the zenith of hope Captain Starlins had been suddenly plunged souse down to the nadir of despair.
— from History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia by Charles Campbell - Nadir , the point in the celestial sphere directly beneath our feet, opposite to zenith.
— from Recreations in AstronomyWith Directions for Practical Experiments and Telescopic Work by Henry White Warren - ↑ 41 Literally, “he was the nadir of the zenith” of Mendiola’s goodness—a pun on the Mora’s name.
— from The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 37, 1669-1676 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century - In 1854, the year of the Crimean War, Bright reached the zenith of his oratorical power, and at the same time touched the nadir of his popularity.
— from Victorian Worthies: Sixteen Biographies by George Henry Blore
