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.
- 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 - 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 - 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 - “How is your mistress?” “A successful confinement yesterday.” Alexey Alexandrovitch stopped short and turned white.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - 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 - &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 - 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 - [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 - 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