Literary notes about Colored (AI summary)
The adjective "colored" functions in literature as a versatile descriptor, spanning a range of evocative visual and emotional effects. It is often employed to paint vivid images of physical hues—such as the "blood-colored drapery" [1], a "honey-colored moon" [2], or even "rainbow-colored" nuances that transform a setting into a magical realm [3]—while simultaneously serving as a marker of socio-political identity when referring to race, as in descriptions of "colored women and children" [4] and "colored people" fittingly drawn into the fabric of community life [5]. In its more metaphorical usage, the word touches on mood and perception, coloring experiences with an added layer of optimism or passion, exemplified by a moment "rose-colored" by joy [6] or cheeks briefly flushed in a reaction [7]. This layered employment enriches the narrative, lending both visual texture and symbolic resonance to the text.
- “Look at that large clumsy bed, hung with such gloomy, blood-colored drapery!
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Look at that great honey-colored moon that hangs in the dusky air.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - you must see that, you must,” and Alyosha held out two new rainbow-colored hundred-rouble notes.
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - There was but one engine in our town, and colored women and children were often required to drag it to the river's edge and fill it.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - Many colored people, hitherto unaccustomed to attend church, now gladly went to hear the gospel preached.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - It seemed to me that all my life had been narrowed to one perfect point of rose-colored joy.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - When he caught sight of Lord Henry, a faint blush colored his cheeks for a moment, and he started up.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
