Literary notes about svelte (AI summary)
The term "svelte" frequently appears in literature as a descriptor for a character’s physical allure, particularly emphasizing elegant slimness and graceful poise. Writers use it to accentuate not only a slender, lithe figure but also an overall impression of sophistication and ease, as seen in portrayals of aristocratic women with refined profiles [1] and modern figures admired for their effortless charm [2][3]. Occasionally, the term extends beyond human form to evoke the smooth, sleek lines of objects or even landscapes, thereby enriching the text with a subtle visual elegance [4]. Overall, "svelte" functions as a versatile adjective that enhances the aesthetic detail of both characters and settings, adding a layer of cultivated beauty and fluidity to the narrative [5][6].
- The Duchess of Kimberley (Ruby), a svelte aquiline-nosed woman of some forty summers, with green hair and two aigrettes.
— from Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 25, 1914 by Various - She was a blonde, a brunette, tall, petite, svelte, straight-featured, full, curvilinear.
— from The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament by Thomas Hardy - "But a svelte figure is much to be desired these days."
— from The Moving Picture Girls Under the PalmsOr Lost in the Wilds of Florida by Laura Lee Hope - I hugged the ground and watched a long svelte Mercedes—about a '68 model, I estimated—barrel past.
— from The Night of the Trolls by Keith Laumer - She is tall, slight, svelte : indeed, earth has not anything to show more fair.
— from Faith and Unfaith: A Novel by Duchess - There was a gracious svelte elegance about these tomes, an appealing and exquisite delicacy of proportion, that linger like sweet music in the memory.
— from Books and Bookmen by Andrew Lang
