Literary notes about Obliterated (AI summary)
The word "obliterated" in literature conveys a sense of complete erasure, whether referring to tangible traces or abstract impressions. It is employed to describe the physical wearing away of structures or inscriptions, as when moss nearly covers an ancient grave [1] or when the marks on a beach vanish under the tide [2]. At the same time, authors use it to depict the fading of memory and identity, such as the way personal histories or characteristics become entirely effaced [3] or when the remnants of cultural and historical narratives are lost over time [4]. In each instance, the term powerfully emphasizes the irreversible act of removal, leaving behind an absence that speaks as loudly as presence.
- It was still there; but nearly obliterated by moss.
— from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy - He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide, for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks.
— from The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - Her husband, with his intensity and his darkness, was obliterated.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - The vilest inclinations, the basest actions, succeeded my amiable amusements and even obliterated the very remembrance of them.
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
