Literary notes about pale (AI summary)
The word "pale" serves as a versatile modifier in literature, evoking both physical and emotional nuances. It is often used to describe a character's skin or expression in moments of shock, distress, or deep introspection, as when a character’s face conveys silent suffering or anxiety [1] or when fear renders someone "deadly pale" in a critical scene [2]. At times, it communicates an ethereal quality, painting a picture of beauty beyond mere color as in the depiction of a "pale visage" that hints at inner mystique [3], or it enlivens the atmosphere by contrasting with other vibrant hues, such as the "pale yellow light" that subtly illuminates a desolate room [4]. This simple adjective thus enriches narrative detail, linking physical description with emotional depth and creating a layered, evocative imagery throughout the text [5][6].
- Levin was silent for a space, then he scanned her pale and distressed face, and suddenly he clutched at his head.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - He grew deadly pale, placed his hand upon his heart, which was breaking, and at once perceived all the treachery.
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure brow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo from which the dark eyes looked out at me.
— from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - The windows of the room had before been darkened, and I felt a kind of panic on seeing the pale yellow light of the moon illuminate the chamber.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Shall I tell you what made Monsieur Lawrence turn so pale when he first entered his mother’s room on the fatal night?
— from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - The old man did not reply, but raised his hand toward mine, and I took the pale, cold hand and held it in my own.
— from Complete Original Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant by Guy de Maupassant
