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This is from Light in August, by W. Faulkner, Chapter 18:

He began to breathe deep. He could feel himself breathing deep, (...)

This confused me deep.

(This is related but not an answer to my question. Read especially the comments to the accepted answer.)

EDIT. As noted in the comments and in the title: the question is indeed why deep and not deeply? Even if it does not feel too wrong, the second statement certainly confuses readers deep. Even if the use of deep as an adverb is widely accepted in formal speech, one does not expect to hear from the narrator in a novel. [This is an adverb, right? Because like I said, I am confused.]

For rerefence, the rest of the sentence is:

He began to breathe deep. He could feel himself breathing deep, as if each time his insides were afraid that next breath they would not be able to give far enough and that something terrible would happen, and that all the time he could look down at himself breathing, at his chest, and see no movement at all, like when dynamite first begins, gathers itself for the now Now NOW, the shape of the outside of the stick does not change; that the people who passed and looked at him could see no change: a small man you would not look at twice, that you would never believe he had done what he had done and felt what he had felt, who had believed that out there at the mill on a Saturday afternoon, alone, the chance to be hurt could not have found him.

The full text can be found here, page 168.

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Myself
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    I'm confused deep. Is there a question in your post? – teylyn Jun 11 '13 at 11:05
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    @teylyn: the OP is being clever. Why deep instead of deeply? (because the quote is mildly OK, but the confusion statement is not) – Mitch Jun 11 '13 at 11:12
  • @Myself: can you show a quote reference? The only result Google brings up for 'He began to breathe deep' is this question and a few quotes that include more words after deep that justify the use of deep as an adjective instead of an adverb. – teylyn Jun 11 '13 at 11:34
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    This is a very goodly question. ;-) – TrevorD Jun 11 '13 at 11:49
  • @teylyn: I have slightly expanded my question. – Myself Jun 11 '13 at 12:27
  • Can you shed some light on this? I have not read this book but I understand it is American literature. Is the story being narrated by a character? – The Lexicon Jun 11 '13 at 12:55
  • @TheLexicon: the narrative mode shifts throughout the novel, but at this point a narrator is talking. (Third-person view) – Myself Jun 11 '13 at 14:39
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    Formation of adverbs with -ly only became the 'rule' after the Restoration. Before then, most adjectives could be deployed as adverbs, and that use has been preserved in common collocations: run fast, swing low, aim high, run hot. We still drink deep, dive deep, and dig deep. Still waters run deep, and the auscultating physician commands us to breathe deep. – StoneyB on hiatus Jun 11 '13 at 17:02
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    @StoneyB That sounds like a perfect answer to my question; if you were to post it as such, I would accept it happy. – Myself Jun 11 '13 at 17:23
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    These are called flat adverbs. They are more common in the U.S. than in England. – Peter Shor Jun 11 '13 at 18:16
  • @tylerharms This is something I think you looked into before. – MetaEd Jun 13 '13 at 03:05
  • Related: http://english.stackexchange.com/q/44943/14073 @AnWulf – MetaEd Jun 13 '13 at 03:07
  • Related: http://english.stackexchange.com/q/92178/14073 @edwin-ashworth – MetaEd Jun 13 '13 at 03:09
  • Not that you could say "... I would accept it happy. – Myself Jun 11 at 17:23" Lol, nice pun. – Kris Jun 17 '13 at 05:40
  • Always check previous questions and do some research online before asking on ELU. – Kris Jun 17 '13 at 05:41

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