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Literary notes about white (AI summary)

The word “white” serves as a versatile tool in literature, acting as both a literal descriptor and a symbol laden with meaning. It is often used to capture the visual brilliance or purity of objects and scenery, as when a tree’s wood is noted for being “white throughout” [1] or when a cottage gleams “white as the snow” [2]. At the same time, “white” delineates qualities ranging from the delicate (a dress described as pure white [3]) to the more charged, whether highlighting calm, shock, or even social constructs—its use extends to evocative portrayals of human emotions [4][5] and the demarcation of racial identities [6][7]. In technical writing, the term provides precision and clarity, as when describing a substance’s color or a game tactic [8][9]. Through these varied applications, “white” enriches narratives by contributing tangible imagery and abstract symbolism simultaneously.
  1. the wood is white throughout and reather soft but very tough, and difficult to rive.
    — from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis
  2. Suddenly he saw a little cottage gleaming white as the snow among the trees of the forest.
    — from The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
  3. Her dress was pure white but her eyes were blue, and they looked kindly upon the little girl.
    — from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
  4. “How is your mistress?” “A successful confinement yesterday.” Alexey Alexandrovitch stopped short and turned white.
    — from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
  5. A strange contraction of the features altered Mrs. Brand's face for a moment: her breath came with difficulty and her lips turned white.
    — from A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant
  6. &c.which the Indians Say is the last of the bad water untill we get to the great falls 10 day below, where the white people live &c.
    — from The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806 by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis
  7. Yet some striking exceptions there are among us, from the fact that the negro is naturally more impressible to religious sentiment than the white.”
    — from Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
  8. [or other small fish, filets of sole, etc. of white meat] MARINATE [i.e. impregnate with] IN OIL, PLACE IN A SHALLOW PAN, ADD OIL, BROTH [2] AND WINE.
    — from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius
  9. White's only advantage in the above position is that he possesses the open file and has the move, which will secure him the initiative.
    — from Chess Fundamentals by José Raúl Capablanca

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