Literary notes about muddy brown (AI summary)
The color "muddy brown" is often employed in literature to evoke a sense of earthiness, decay, or the passage of time. It is used to describe a range of subjects—from natural elements like rivers, roads, and liquids, as seen in the depiction of grape cider [1], a river’s shift from muddy brown to silver-grey [2], the Congo River [3], and early dawn roads [4]—to human characteristics and belongings, such as a character’s eyes [5], clothing [6], and even the ink on a letter [7]. In each case, "muddy brown" imbues the scene with a gritty, often somber tone that underscores the atmosphere of a setting or the mood of a character, thereby enriching the narrative with a tangible texture and emotional depth.
- This last is a sort of grape cider, muddy brown in color, sweet and heavy and is apt to give the partaker indigestion.
— from Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and ChileIncluding a Side Trip to the Source of the Paraguay River in the State of Matto Grosso, Brazil, and a Journey Across the Andes to the Rio Tambo in Peru by Henry Stephens - The river, whose windings make it look like a lake, turns from muddy brown to silver-grey.
— from The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan by Winston Churchill - The Congo River proper is a muddy brown.
— from An African Adventure by Isaac Frederick Marcosson - At early dawn, the muddy brown roads that lead to the little depot there at the flour mills are alive.
— from The Modern Railroad by Edward Hungerford - She had a malignant mouth and eyes a thick muddy brown, and it was clear that she hated the man in whose arms she was turning.
— from San Cristóbal de la Habana by Joseph Hergesheimer - He wore an old Norfolk jacket, muddy brown shoes, grey flannel trousers (or had they been white?), and an ordinary tweed cap.
— from The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers - The letter was in French, in the same muddy brown ink as the address.
— from The Secret Cache: An Adventure and Mystery Story for Boys by Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill
