Literary notes about gala (AI summary)
The term “gala” is often employed to evoke a sense of refined celebration and grandeur in literature. It may refer to lavish or ceremonial attire, as when a character is instructed to wear her “gala dress” for a distinguished encounter ([1]) or is noted for donning “gala attire” to mark a significant event ([2], [3]). At the same time, “gala” is used to describe festive occasions and public spectacles, adding a layer of ceremonial splendor to events such as operatic performances and grand public celebrations ([4], [5], [6]). This multiplicity in meaning enriches scenes by blending images of opulent dress and admirable festivities, thus heightening the overall atmosphere with a celebratory and sometimes even transformative quality ([7], [8]).
- Early next day he sent a page to my room to tell me that if I wanted to come with him and kiss the king’s hand I must put on my gala dress.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - Lastly, Arina Vlasievna had robed herself in gala attire—that is to say, in a high-peaked cap with yellow ribands and a blue, embroidered shawl.
— from Fathers and Sons by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev - He did not wait long, for in five minutes the queen entered in full gala costume.
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.
— from The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux - In old times here Saturday was a grand gala day indeed.
— from Roughing It by Mark Twain - The States-General shall open there, if not on the First, then surely on the Fourth of May, in grand procession and gala.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle - There is to be a grand gala on Tuesday evening in Sydney Gardens, a concert, with illuminations and fireworks.
— from The Letters of Jane Austen by Jane Austen - They are gala-nights, these last of September; Paris may well dance, and the Universe: the Edifice of the Constitution is completed!
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle