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Literary notes about dandy (AI summary)

The term "dandy" in literature often serves as a multifaceted label that can both commend and satirize its subject. Authors use it to depict a man of meticulous style and refined, sometimes ostentatious, dress—capturing both grace and a hint of affected vanity, as seen in the description of someone “dressed like a dandy[1] or the “correct-featured little dandy[2]. In some narratives, the word is employed with a touch of irony or criticism to contrast genuine character with superficial pretense, such as when a character being anything but a dandy is highlighted [3]. Meanwhile, in other contexts, "dandy" extends beyond mere appearance to embody qualities of charm and leadership, even becoming a nom de guerre for bold figures [4]. This versatility in meaning has allowed the term to endure as a rich, culturally loaded descriptor within the literary canon.
  1. As it was Sunday, he was dressed like a dandy.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  2. He was a straight-nosed, very correct-featured little dandy.
    — from Villette by Charlotte Brontë
  3. 'Tis a ranter pa'son who's been sniffing after her lately; not a dandy like this.
    — from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy
  4. The fact is the public mind at this instant wanted to be led, and in Dandy Mick a leader appeared.
    — from Sybil, Or, The Two Nations by Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli

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