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Literary notes about Chic (AI summary)

The word chic in literature is deployed to evoke a sense of refined elegance and modern sophistication, whether describing a character’s sartorial choices or an overall aesthetic ambiance. Often used as an adjective, it captures not only the idea of fashionable appearance—as when a character is celebrated for her "exceedingly chic" style ([1]) or her "chic little Parisienne" charm ([2])—but it also serves as a marker of cultural wit and subtle irony. In certain narratives, the term critiques or underscores social pretensions; for example, a reference to the “chic” nature of fashionable outbursts ([3]) or the ironic commentary on heroism and heroics that fall short of true style ([4]) illustrates its flexible application. Additionally, chic is used in a variety of contexts, ranging from straightforward celebratory descriptions of stylishness ([5],[6]) to more complex, tongue-in-cheek observations that enrich character development and the overall narrative tone ([7],[8]).
  1. A slim little Austrian girl, exceedingly chic, rose when he did and threw away the end of a cigarette.
    — from The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart
  2. I asked, standing before her, and leaning against the table, as I looked into the wonderful eyes of the chic little Parisienne.
    — from The Place of Dragons: A Mystery by William Le Queux
  3. It was chic to wear a hat of the latest fashion; it was chic to impress one’s lover by a jealous outburst; it was chic to refuse a man one’s favors.
    — from The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett by Compton MacKenzie
  4. No, war is not chic , Captain, no matter how much they talk of heroism and sublime things in the newspapers and books."
    — from Mare Nostrum (Our Sea): A Novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
  5. She wore a smart little gown of black taffeta, with crisp, chic frills of finely plaited white organdie.
    — from The Mystery Girl by Carolyn Wells
  6. 'Emily (they called their mother Emily—it was so chic) will lend us the carriage.
    — from The Forsyte Saga, Volume I. by John Galsworthy
  7. Soames was rather tiring; and as to Mr. Bosinney—only that buffoon George would have called him the Buccaneer—she maintained that he was very chic.
    — from The Forsyte Saga, Volume I. by John Galsworthy
  8. What seduced him above all else was chic.
    — from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

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