Literary notes about brown (AI summary)
The word “brown” in literature is remarkably versatile, functioning as both a literal descriptor and a symbolic element that connects readers to an earthy, tangible world. Authors use “brown” to detail physical traits and objects—from the soft glow of a brown face with rippling gray-black hair [1] and the subtle brightness of brown cheeks [2], to the striking ordinary charm of a well-cut brown suit [3] or the rustic appearance of brown leaves blurring into an autumn landscape [4]. It also serves as a name that carries its own narrative weight, as in the enduring presence of Father Brown [5] or characters simply identified by the name “Brown” [6, 7]. Through these varied uses, “brown” enriches the texture of a story, grounding abstract emotions in concrete, familiar imagery while simultaneously hinting at deeper layers of character and cultural significance.
- What would you say to a soft, brown face, aureoled in a thousand ripples of gray-black hair, which knells suddenly: "Do you trust white people?"
— from Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. Du Bois - As for the girl, one noticed only a peculiar brightness in her eyes, while the brown cheeks became more rosy.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant - His brown suit was well cut, but perilously near the end of its tether.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - Altogether, Marilla was a thankful woman when she drove into her own yard, where the wind of the autumn night was dancing with the brown leaves.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - But Father Brown walked those snow-covered hills under the stars for many hours with a murderer, and what they said to each other will never be known.
— from The innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton - “Hullo, Brown!
— from Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes - Miss Brown was to be told her father had been summoned to take a short journey on railway business.
— from Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell