Literary notes about husk (AI summary)
The term "husk" in literature is portrayed as a multifaceted element, one that oscillates between the literal and the metaphorical. In many texts it represents the natural, protective covering of a seed or fruit—as seen in descriptions of corn and nut coverings [1], [2], [3]—while in others it serves as a symbol of what remains after the essential inner substance has been removed or transformed [4], [5], [6]. This duality is further highlighted by its practical portrayal in culinary and agricultural contexts, where husks are central to food preparation and preservation [7], [8], [9]. Thus, whether functioning as a tangible part of nature or as an emblem for inner emptiness and reincarnation, the husk enriches literary narratives by conveying both physical and existential layers.
- The stalks are jointed like corn, with the like leaves on them, and a large spiked head, with a long husk in them, and hard rough seed in them.
— from The Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper - The Wall-nut , 8. the Hazel-nut , 9. and Chest-nut , 10. are wrapped in a husk and a Shell .
— from The Orbis Pictus by Johann Amos Comenius - (10) The husk of shagbark varies in thickness from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch in thickness when dry.
— from Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 44th Annual Meeting - I will not be mocked with the empty husk of conjugal endearments, when you have given the substance to another!’
— from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë - They glowed out of its quiet and grayness like the throbbing, blood-red thoughts of a vivid soul imprisoned in a dull husk of environment.
— from Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery - No bond united him to the Saint-Germain quarters now in its dotage, scaling into the dust of desuetude, buried in a new society like an empty husk.
— from Against the Grain by J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans - Malay women husk rice by pounding it in a mortar with a wooden pestle.
— from Malay Magic by Walter William Skeat - After the paper bread, perhaps the most popular food is pigame , or sweet corn mush, wrapped in corn-husk and baked in an underground oven.
— from The Hopi Indians by Walter Hough - Before roasting corn on the cob, tie the end of the husk firmly with string or cord; soak in water for about an hour; then put into the hot embers.
— from Boy Scouts Handbook by Boy Scouts of America
