In literary contexts, anthracite has emerged as a powerful color metaphor that conveys both the tangible darkness of coal and a spectrum of emotional intensity. It is frequently used to evoke a somber, almost spectral atmosphere, as in one example where a studio is imbued with “the breath of anthracite,” suggesting a presence that is both warm and tinged with pervasive melancholy [1]. Anthracite is also employed as a simile in describing internal states; a character’s mind might be likened to a “glowing anthracite coal-mine,” merging the imagery of burning energy with the deep, dark hue of the coal itself [2]. In another instance, the comparison extends to the fierceness of fervor, where souls or causes are described as burning “red hot, white hot—clear through,” much like anthracite in a furnace [3]. Even brief, striking references, such as “just one solid streak of anthracite—clear through,” illustrate how this color can encapsulate clarity amid darkness [4]. Overall, the color anthracite in literature is used to symbolize contrasts—between light and dark, warmth and cold, energy and desolation—offering a nuanced palette for evoking mood and character.
- The studio was brilliant with gas-glare and warm with the breath of anthracite, but an aspect of dreariness, silence, and sorrow predominated.
— from Macaria by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans
- His brain burned on in dream, as he lay on his pillow, like a glowing anthracite coal-mine.
— from The Invisible Lodge by Jean Paul
- The anti-slavery men were like anthracite in the furnace,—red hot,—white hot,—clear through.
— from Charles Carleton Coffin: War Correspondent, Traveller, Author, and Statesman by William Elliot Griffis
- “Just one solid streak of anthracite—clear through.
— from Leerie by Ruth Sawyer