Literary notes about Colossus (AI summary)
The term "colossus" in literature often conveys both a literal and symbolic sense of monumental grandeur. It is used to evoke awe through descriptions of physical giants or monumental statues, such as the famed Colossus of Rhodes ([1], [2], [3]), while simultaneously serving as a metaphor for towering influence or intellectual might, as when a character is depicted as a dominant force in debate or leadership ([4], [5]). In other instances, authors employ the word to portray not only massive, immovable structures but also the impressive stature of individuals—be they heroic, imposing, or even humorously exaggerated ([6], [7], [8]). This versatile term thus bridges the gap between mythic enormity and figurative power, enhancing the narrative by drawing on a rich tradition of imagery and allusion ([9], [10]).
- Grand, if you like. Take the Colossus of Rhodes, for instance, that's worth something.
— from Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The famous Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the seven wonders of the world, was erected in honour of Helios.
— from Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens - The Colossus of Rhodes was a gigantic statue—over a hundred feet in height—of the Rhodian sun
— from Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson - His contemporaries called him a colossus, the literary Goliath, the Giant, the great Cham of literature, a tremendous companion.
— from Boswell's Life of Johnson by James Boswell - To them a United States Senator was a vast, vague colossus, an awe inspiring unreality.
— from The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner - The little ant, again, pronounced the gnat too wee; To such a speck, a vast colossus she.
— from Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Jean de La Fontaine - He desired I would stand like a colossus, with my legs as far asunder as I conveniently could.
— from Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Regions of the World by Jonathan Swift - Give a man a tolerably fair memory to start with, and piloting will develop it into a very colossus of capability.
— from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain - It is intellect, an atom which resists strength—a colossus.
— from The History of a Crime by Victor Hugo - He never would see again this Colossus who seemed to repel his weak embraces with the bellows of his respiration.
— from Mare Nostrum (Our Sea): A Novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez