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Literary notes about raw (AI summary)

In literature, the word "raw" functions as a multifaceted descriptor that bridges the physical and the emotional. It often designates objects in their unprocessed or natural state, as seen in the depiction of an unmodified hide ([1]) or materials such as raw cotton ([2], [3]) and raw eggs in ancient recipes ([4], [5]). At the same time, "raw" conveys unfiltered, visceral sensations and states—illustrating everything from tender, exposed emotions ([6], [7]) to the untamed character of nature or early human experiences, such as the weather that makes a day feel particularly harsh ([8], [9]) or the unrefined vigor of a young man ([10]). This dual usage enriches narrative texture, allowing writers to evoke both the material and the innermost conditions of their subjects.
  1. 376 Some Dogs espied a raw hide sunk in a river.
    — from The Fables of Phædrus by Phaedrus
  2. Raw cotton must not be brought on to a mine in any shape, either in its native state or as stuffing of bolsters or mattresses.
    — from Malay Magic by Walter William Skeat
  3. Raw cotton, however, not only held its own but rose to a value of £18,692 from £6,159 the previous year.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  4. [season with] CRUSHED PEPPER AND A LITTLE RUE, ADD SUFFICIENT BROTH AND SOME OIL, AND MIX IN, ALSO ADD ENOUGH RAW EGGS
    — from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius
  5. [1] RAW FISH ANY KIND YOU PREFER, WASH [prepare, cut into handy size] ARRANGE IN A SAUCE PAN; ADD OIL, BROTH, VINEGAR, A BUNCH OF LEEKS AND
    — from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius
  6. The wound in my heart is raw and bleeding, thanks to the care you take to keep it in that condition.
    — from Juliette Drouet's Love-Letters to Victor Hugo by Juliette Drouet and Louis Guimbaud
  7. The air was pitilessly raw and already my heart misgave me.
    — from Dubliners by James Joyce
  8. The time is early in the evening; the weather moist and raw.
    — from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
  9. The morning is none of the comfortablest: raw; it is even drizzling a little.
    — from The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle
  10. She would save this raw young man who had come so far.
    — from Martin Eden by Jack London

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