Literary notes about frowzy (AI summary)
The word "frowzy" has been employed by various authors to evoke a sense of dishevelment or untidiness in both physical appearance and atmosphere. For instance, Mark Twain uses “frowzy-headed” humorously to depict a character’s unkempt state in a carefree, perhaps even whimsical, manner [1]. Kurt Vonnegut, on the other hand, applies the term to a father’s appearance, suggesting a tired, possibly neglected look that adds depth to his characterization [2]. Charles Dickens employs “frowzy” in a dual fashion: once to describe an environment that is bleak and disorderly, thereby setting a gloomy tone, and again to characterize a hairstyle that accentuates a scruffy, unrefined aesthetic [3, 4].
- He hadn’t on anything but a shirt, and he was very frowzy-headed.
— from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - "Wehling," said the waiting father, sitting up, red-eyed and frowzy.
— from 2 B R 0 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut - a frowzy, ugly, disorderly, depressing scene
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - Such hair as he had was of a grizzled black, cut short and straight upon his temples, and hanging in a frowzy fringe about his ears.
— from The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
