Literary notes about dull blue (AI summary)
In literature, “dull blue” is often used to evoke an understated, muted atmosphere that contrasts with brighter or more vibrant colors. Authors employ the hue to describe everyday objects and attire—for example, a book bound in dull blue cloth [1] or a modest dress [2, 3]—suggesting a seriousness or quiet dignity. At the same time, the color is used to set the mood in natural settings: a sky fading into pale melancholy [4] or a wintry sea under a similarly subdued light [5]. Its restrained, somber quality is also applied to character features like eyes [6, 7], providing a subtle, reflective counterpoint to more vivid descriptions.
- He reached his hand out for the book, bound in dull blue cloth, the symbol of its serious import.
— from The City of Fire by Grace Livingston Hill - I had already noted the very becoming dull blue house gown she wore.
— from Ruggles of Red Gap by Harry Leon Wilson - She wore an exquisitely embroidered purple silk apron, over a dull blue dress.
— from The Morgesons: A Novel by Elizabeth Stoddard - The dull blue of the sky in that quarter was fading into a pale, melancholy light, which at the same time blotted out the sparkling stars.
— from The Marquis of Peñalta (Marta y María): A Realistic Social Novel by Armando Palacio Valdés - Here was the dull blue wintry sea under the dull gray wintry sky.
— from Tempest-Driven: A Romance (Vol. 2 of 3) by Richard Dowling - The first thing the Harvester noticed was that the dull blue look in the depth of the dark eyes was gone.
— from The Harvester by Gene Stratton-Porter - Into her eyes of dull blue—like the blue of old china—the morning's sun sent an occasional unwonted sparkle.
— from A Man's Woman by Frank Norris
