Literary notes about Muck (AI summary)
Muck is employed in literature in a variety of ways, both as a literal substance and a metaphor for moral or social grime. In some works, it denotes the physical dirt or earthy material found in swamps, fields, and cellars—a substance that can be essential for agricultural fertility or simply evoke a sense of filth and decay, as in references to cow-muck and swamp-muck in agricultural contexts [1][2][3]. At the same time, muck takes on a figurative dimension, symbolizing the messy, base elements of life; characters are urged to “roll up your sleeves and get right down into the muck” as a call to tackle hard, unglamorous work or confront the murky realities of existence [4][5]. Additionally, playful personifications of the term, such as the recurring character Muck-a-Muck, lend it a literary charm that underscores both the humor and the grit found in everyday narratives [6][7][8].
- And the road underfoot was all nasty with cow-muck.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - Ammonia is quite soluble in water, and if there was any ammonia in the swamp-muck, it would soon be washed out.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - A bed of swamp-muck, easily accessible, and containing 3 per cent of nitrogen, would be a mine of wealth to any farmer.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - You'll never amount to anything, any of you, till you roll up your sleeves and get right down into the muck.
— from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - Aristocracy is the individual asserting a vital distinction between itself and "the muck o' the world."
— from Byron by John Nichol - “She has spoken, Muck-a-Muck,” said the Judge, gazing fondly on his daughter.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - In a moment his rifle was at his shoulder, and with a sharp “ping” Muck-a-Muck leaped into the air a corpse.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - And folding his blanket more tightly around him, Muck-a-Muck withdrew.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte
