Literary notes about Gritty (AI summary)
The word gritty in literature often conveys both tactile texture and a metaphorical sense of toughness. It is used to describe physical surfaces—ranging from the coarse, sand-like quality of materials such as gravel and soil [1], [2], [3] to the rough, dusty ambiance of urban or natural landscapes [4], [5], [6]. At the same time, gritty characterizations extend to human qualities, suggesting resilience, unpolished determination, or a raw, unfiltered character—as when a performance is given in a gritty tone or a person is depicted as a gritty individual [7], [8], [9]. This dual usage enriches narrative detail by engaging both the senses and the reader’s understanding of a character’s or setting’s rugged nature [10], [11].
- —The presence of sand in gravel increases the frictional resistance because it makes it gritty.
— from Earthwork Slips and Subsidences upon Public WorksTheir Causes, Prevention, and Reparation by John Newman - When she scrambled to her feet, her bathing suit was gritty with sand.
— from The Brownie Scouts at Silver Beach by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt - this water boils up through some loose hard gritty Stone.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - When Eric came up from below after lunch, the air was so full of a heavy gritty ash that it was impossible to see the length of the ship.
— from The Boy With the U. S. Life-Savers by Francis Rolt-Wheeler - The City looked unpromising enough, as Bella made her way along its gritty streets.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - The time was March, that season of the northern year when winter growing stale has a gritty, sticky taste and the relief of spring seems yet far away.
— from Over the Pass by Frederick Palmer - He laughed, a gritty, mirthless performance.
— from The Lay Anthony: A Romance by Joseph Hergesheimer - Dutton's former school-fellows began to remember that there had always been something tough and gritty in Jim Dutton.
— from The Queen of Sheba, and My Cousin the Colonel by Thomas Bailey Aldrich - "As far as that goes I know she's a gritty little person," Jack instantly remarked.
— from Air Service Boys Over the Enemy's Lines; Or, The German Spy's Secret by Charles Amory Beach - This is a coarse, gritty stone, rather soft, but much more difficult to work than the soapstone.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - the rock which passes the river at those Sholes appear hard and gritty of a dark brown Colour.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis
