In literature the color violet emerges as a multifaceted symbol—one that evokes mystery, beauty, and emotional intensity. Writers use violet to paint natural scenes with an almost otherworldly quality, as when pale violet rays rip through a torn valley [1] or a dark violet sea sets the stage for a realm of wonder [2]. Violet also appears in delicate details, such as the violet clusters of blossoms juxtaposed against rugged stone-pines [3] or the subtle violet specks from a boa that add texture to a character’s surroundings [4]. In moments of introspection and transformation, violet hues color human expression: an individual’s face might turn the sinister violet of an eggplant [5], while intense violet eyes emerge as a striking symbol of passion or mystery [6, 7, 8]. The color’s rich spectrum—from the red-violet shimmer of fire [9] to the composite shades ranging from violet red to violet black [10]—shows that violet is not merely a static hue but a dynamic tool for evoking mood, depth, and nuance across literary landscapes [11, 12].
- As if by a giant plow, the valley was torn and rent in great streaks by the pale violet rays of the molecular force.
— from Islands of Space by Campbell, John W., Jr. (John Wood)
- A dark violet sea, and Alps in burnished silver, with the colors of the rainbow dissolving among them.
— from After Icebergs with a Painter
A Summer Voyage to Labrador and Around Newfoundland. by Louis Legrand Noble
- By the roadside, fruit-trees with violet clusters of blossoms against a background of stone-pines, cypresses, and olive-groves.
— from Recollections of My Childhood and Youth by Georg Brandes
- The air around him was full of little violet specks from her boa.
— from The Double Life Of Mr. Alfred Burton by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
- And I should have thought him asleep, if his face had not been violet, frightfully violet, the sinister violet of the egg-plant.
— from A Chambermaid's Diary by Octave Mirbeau
- She was once more the cool, self-possessed and beautiful girl from whose violet eyes satire looked out on all those about her.
— from December Love by Robert Hichens
- Her violet eyes fairly blazed with light and sparkle, and her wonderful golden hair peeped in fascinating little curls from under her gray velour hat.
— from Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus by Josephine Chase
- He looked quietly into the great violet eyes, filled with a wonderful living amber when turned against the sun.
— from Pharais; and, The Mountain Lovers by William Sharp
- Red-violet fire shimmered about it, bathing him to the waist in a chilling torrent.
— from Astounding Stories, July, 1931 by Various
- F. At the temperature of its formation Ag 2 Cl has an easily changeable tint, with shades of violet red to violet black.
— from The Principles of Chemistry, Volume II by Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev
- The rainbow, as we see it, consists of seven colours—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
— from The Beauties of Nature, and the Wonders of the World We Live In by Lubbock, John, Sir
- A violet blueness softens form and hue.
— from Through Scandinavia to Moscow by William Seymour Edwards
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