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Literary notes about derelict (AI summary)

In literature, the word "derelict" conveys a powerful sense of abandonment and neglect, serving both as a literal descriptor and a metaphor for moral or emotional decay. It is often used to characterize ruined structures or vessels—such as ships left to drift at sea or abandoned buildings that loom like forgotten giants ([1], [2], [3])—and simultaneously to depict individuals or institutions failing in their responsibilities ([4], [5], [6]). This dual application helps create vivid imagery that ranges from the tangible decay of urban and maritime landscapes ([7], [2]) to the more abstract idea of personal or societal neglect, thereby enriching the narrative with layers of desolation and loss ([8], [9]).
  1. The mill on the horizon was derelict, standing black and crude, an eyeless giant, blind to the colour of earth and sky.
    — from Peter Paragon: A Tale of Youth by John Palmer
  2. It was a city condemned and derelict. . .
    — from The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
  3. I shall send, in time for your next issue, further details of the derelict ship which found her way so miraculously into harbour in the storm.
    — from Dracula by Bram Stoker
  4. He looked fondly at Tammie, who had been nowise derelict.
    — from Double Challenge by Jim Kjelgaard
  5. Derelict though the man appeared, the belief held with her that one day he would pull himself together and make good.
    — from The Stronger Influence by F. E. Mills (Florence Ethel Mills) Young
  6. If they fail to do it they are derelict, and can be punished, or deprived of all advantages arising from the labors of those who do.
    — from Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete by William T. Sherman
  7. She meant to creep as far as the derelict freight-car if she could, but to reach it there was an open moon-lit space to cross.
    — from Daughters of the Dominion: A Story of the Canadian Frontier by Bessie Marchant
  8. Old as I am, derelict as I may be, I still look the world in the face, and, in the words of the poet, ‘Stand four-square to all the winds that blow.’”
    — from The Stolen Statesman: Being the Story of a Hushed Up Mystery by William Le Queux
  9. You are too young, and too gifted, to remain here in this sluggish backwater, alongside a derelict like me.
    — from The History of Sir Richard Calmady: A Romance by Lucas Malet

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