In literature, soap sometimes transcends its everyday function to become a source of vivid, symbolic color. In Jules Verne's work, for example, the sail “spreads out and fills like a soap bubble about to burst” ([1]), invoking the delicate, transient shimmer and subtle hues of a soap bubble in full sunlight. Similarly, poetic imagery elevates soap to a marker of purity and luminosity; an “Ivory Soap” is celebrated for preserving a hue that remains “brilliant and as fresh as new” ([2]). Additionally, the reference to “the finest bright‐coloured yellow soap” ([3]) showcases how soap can embody unexpected vibrancy and serve as a playful, striking visual motif. Through these examples, soap is not only a cleansing agent but also a canvas for exploring themes of ephemerality, purity, and beauty in literature.
- The sail spreads out and fills like a soap bubble about to burst.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
- If art embroidery be soiled And washed with common soap, 'tis spoiled; But Ivory Soap preserves the hue As brilliant and as fresh as new.
— from Harper's Round Table, March 3, 1896, Vol. XVII., No. 853 by Various
- 2. From the finest bright-coloured yellow soap, scented with the oils of ginger-grass and bergamot.
— from Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume II by Richard Vine Tuson