Literary notes about decorous (AI summary)
In literature “decorous” is frequently used to evoke a sense of propriety, restraint, and dignified formality in people, their actions, and even their surroundings. Authors employ it to describe refined manners and behavior, as when reserved, well-bred English girls are distinguished by their modesty [1] or when a character’s conduct is noted as fitting the stately expectations of society [2]. It can also refer to the ambiance of a setting—a silence imbued with order [3], a measured pace on public streets [4], or even the delicate construction of attire meant to impress by its graceful modesty [5]. In these varied contexts, “decorous” encapsulates the ideal of social uprightness and restraint, reinforcing the cultural value placed on conformity to established norms.
- But let me tell you these are not quiet, decorous, English girls you are going to encounter.
— from Villette by Charlotte Brontë - Becky did not very likely indulge so much as she used before she entered a decorous family.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - The search was regularly and carefully conducted amid a decorous silence.
— from A Son of Mars, volume 1 by Arthur Griffiths - It was a trial to come down from such motion or such stillness, only guided by her own sweet will, to the even and decorous pace necessary in streets.
— from North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - and though she was not in bed, she lay all day half-reclining on the couch in her boudoir, in a fascinating but decorous déshabillé .
— from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
