Literary notes about Monotone (AI summary)
In literature, monotone is often used as a sonic device to evoke a sense of relentless uniformity or emotional flatness. It can describe nature’s persistent sounds—like the deep, unvarying hum of a waterfall ([1]) or the ceaseless murmur of rain on a tin roof ([2])—that imbue settings with an almost hypnotic quality. At the same time, authors use monotone to depict character voices, whether to express detachment or to emphasize a mechanical, unfeeling routine, as in the low, dispassionate delivery of orders ([3]) or the subdued cadence of a resigned narrator ([4]). This sustained tonal quality not only enhances the atmosphere but also mirrors the inner lives of individuals or the oppressive, unchanging rhythm of their surroundings ([5], [6]).
- In the distance sang the deep monotone of the waterfall.
— from Lentala of the South Seas: The Romantic Tale of a Lost Colony by W. C. Morrow - Then the rain came—drumming a thunderous monotone on my tin roof—and after the rain the wind.
— from Faery Lands of the South Seas by James Norman Hall - He delivered his orders in an impassive, low-pitched monotone.
— from The Yoke A Romance of the Days when the Lord Redeemed the Children of Israel from the Bondage of Egypt by Elizabeth Miller - He spoke in a low, even monotone, dispassionately, as though for him the incident no longer was of interest.
— from The Red Cross Girl by Richard Harding Davis - The church bell resumed its hurried monotone.
— from Carnival by Compton MacKenzie - The sea moaned and with it moaned the princess' soul, for she was lonely,—very, very lonely, and full weary of the monotone of life.
— from Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. Du Bois
