Literary notes about corpse (AI summary)
The word "corpse" is deployed with remarkable versatility in literature, evoking both stark realities of death and serving as a potent metaphor for lifelessness or decay. In some instances, it vividly illustrates physical deterioration and tragedy—a rotting body lying in a watery grave [1] or a daughter’s head dragged from her body [2]—while in other works a character’s pallor is compared to a corpse to underscore despair or even inject irony [3, 4]. At times the term extends into the realm of the supernatural or ritualistic, imbuing scenes with an eerie and otherworldly quality [5, 6]. This multifaceted usage underscores the enduring cultural resonance of the word, bridging the literal and figurative to comment on the fragility of human existence [7, 8].
- The rotting of a corpse in a watery grave was not so fearful.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - the corpse of the daughter, head downward, was dragged therefrom; it having been thus forced up the narrow aperture for a considerable distance.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1 by Edgar Allan Poe - “No less,” said Athos, as pale as a corpse.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - So she sat, corpse-like, as we played at cards; the frillings and trimmings on her bridal dress, looking like earthy paper.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - This rejuvenation of a corpse is surprising.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - The Nautilus did not keep on in its settled course; it floated about like a corpse at the will of the waves.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne - He felt sure he never could draw a safe breath again until that man was dead and he had seen the corpse.
— from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete by Mark Twain - The missile struck the child full in the temple, and stretched him a lifeless corpse.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte
