Literary notes about levee (AI summary)
The word "levee" is used with remarkable versatility in literary works, serving both as a concrete setting and as a symbol of societal order and ceremony. In some narratives it denotes a physical structure—a fortification or embankment essential for control over water and commerce, as seen in portrayals of New Orleans, its trade, and military operations ([1], [2], [3]). In other contexts, the term elevates the scene to that of a formal social ritual, where a morning visitation by dignitaries underscores the pomp and strict societal hierarchies, as noted in references to royal receptions and ceremonial assemblies ([4], [5], [6]). Thus, by toggling between the tangible and the ceremonial, "levee" enriches the narrative landscape and reflects the multifaceted notions of protection, order, and the rituals of power.
- The negroes had given up all thoughts of a crevasse there, as the upper levee had stood so long, and when it did come they were at its mercy.
— from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain - Some believed that the higher you build your levee, the higher the river's bottom will rise; and that consequently the levee system is a mistake.
— from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain - The levee is clear of trees or snags, and a hundred boats could land there without confusion.
— from Memoirs of General William T. Sherman — Complete by William T. Sherman - Be at the levee tomorrow after the parade.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - It was granted, and was to take place after her morning’s “levee,” at which, in accordance with his rights of birth, he was entitled to be present.
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - The Universe, O my brothers, is flinging wide its portals for the Levee of the GREAT HIGH KING.
— from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
