Literary notes about January (AI summary)
The month of January is frequently used in literature as much more than a mere calendar marker; it serves as a temporal and symbolic anchor that establishes the beginning or turning point of events. In historical accounts and memoirs, precise dates in January, such as those noted in [1], [2], and [3], help ground narratives in context by pinpointing the exact moment when significant military, political, or personal changes occur. In other works, January evokes the starkness of winter or the promise of renewal—as seen in [4] and [5]—infusing the narrative with atmosphere and metaphorical depth. Authors of diaries and letters, such as those in [6] and [7], similarly use January to structure the progression of time, marking transitions in both public life and private existence. In this way, January emerges not only as a reference for chronology but also as a literary device that enriches the reader’s sense of time, mood, and historical significance.
- [135] January 29, 1804; Lodge's Cabot , p. 337.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - On the 22d of January, 1782, an English fifty-gun ship, the "Hannibal," was taken.
— from The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 by A. T. Mahan - [Clark, January 24, 1805]
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis - January 1.—Very hot still:
— from The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - That which is not beautiful has no right to exist; beauty loves only beauty; April turns her back on January.
— from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo - On January 5 we had an audience of the Mikado.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow - [Lewis, January 11, 1806] Sunday January 11th 1806.
— from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis