Literary notes about ivory (AI summary)
Ivory is often deployed in literature as both a literal material and a powerful symbol of refined beauty and antiquity. Its presence ranges from evoking opulent artifacts—as in carved ornaments and stately furnishings—to highlighting delicate human features, where it suggests a luminous, almost otherworldly quality in skin or teeth [1, 2]. Authorial voices frequently imbue objects made of ivory with hints of classical grandeur and mysterious allure, whether describing a mythic "ivory shoulder" that recalls heroic pasts [3] or setting an elegant, almost surreal scene with "ivory tables" that glow with an ethereal light [4]. In this way, ivory transcends its physical substance to convey both material luxury and the timeless elegance celebrated throughout literary history.