Literary notes about Snuff (AI summary)
In literature the word "snuff" carries a surprising range of meanings, oscillating between the tangible and the metaphorical. On one hand, it denotes the actual tobacco substance that characters habitually take as a pinch—a detail that evokes the manners and social rituals of their time, as seen in works where a pinch of snuff is a sign of genteel behavior or even a moment of introspection [1, 2, 3]. On the other hand, it is intricately tied to the object of the snuff-box, an accessory imbued with both sentimental and monetary value, which features prominently in narratives of wealth, identity, and even clandestine chatter [4, 5, 6]. Additionally, "snuff" is employed as a verb meaning to extinguish, lending itself to moments of sudden cessation or the symbolic end of an era, as when candles or figurative lights are snuffed out [7, 8]. Thus, whether marking a personal habit or serving as a metaphor for extinguishing life or hope, "snuff" is layered with both literal and figurative resonance in the literary canon [9, 10].
- What’s to be done?’ ‘Don’t run after him,’ said Miss Sally, taking more snuff.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens - ‘Here are pretty goings on—a pinch of your snuff, Perker, my boy—never were such times, eh?’
— from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens - “Your experience has been a most entertaining one,” remarked Holmes, as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge pinch of snuff.
— from Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - I received a gold snuff-box from the Grand Duke as a keepsake, which I continued to use until the year 1864.
— from My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner - “I beg of you to accept this small present; it is some negrillo snuff from Habana, which Cardinal Acquaviva has given me.”
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - “Indeed,” said I, “I remember two other daughters of yours robbing me of a snuff-box and two watches at Stuttgart.”
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - extinguish; damp, slack, quench, smother; put out, stamp out; douse, snuff, snuff out, blow out.
— from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget - As he now appeared in his doorway, towelling his hands, Wemmick got on his great-coat and stood by to snuff out the candles.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - So saying, with delight he snuff'd the smell Of mortal change on Earth.
— from The Poetical Works of John Milton by John Milton - A sensible man is a ‘chap that is up to snuff.’
— from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness by Cecil B. Hartley
