Literary notes about dusk (AI summary)
The word "dusk" is deployed to evoke transformation and mood as much as to mark a specific time of day. In one narrative, its arrival sharply contrasts with the hurried behavior of characters, deepening the sense of mystery and disapproval ([1]). In another instance, dusk softens the edges of human interaction, gently framing moments of quiet introspection and farewell ([2]). Authors also use it to blur the boundaries between certainty and the unknown, as when a character’s path becomes indistinct in fading light ([3]), or when the onset of dusk heightens the tension of suspenseful events ([4]). In other works, dusk lightens into warmth, suggesting both an ending and the promise of renewal ([5]).
- It was only about dusk that the indecent haste of these ‘miscreants’ offended the sober eyes of Madame Deluc.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - Winterbourne took a carriage, and they drove back to Vevey in the dusk; the young girl was very quiet.
— from Daisy Miller: A Study by Henry James - The dusk would not permit him to distinguish what it was, but he bade Michael go on.
— from The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe - It was dusk when he was waked up by a fearful scream.
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - When Anne went home in the sweet June dusk, Mrs. Harrison went with her across the fields where the fireflies were lighting their starry lamps.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery
