Thanks--and friend away. I am so pleased that that essay sent anybody to East of Eden! I love that book!
And I think you're totally right about the economy of words--that's the thing. I'll bet if you look at the best descriptive passages they are good not just because they are pretty or describe things well, but are conveying something else throught the description. When you say you can "see" what the Shire looks like in Tolkien, for instance, I suspect that's because he imbues it with the right kind of feeling, not just because he describes what it looks like.
Heh--it's a little like porn in fanfic, probably. People want the feeling as part of the description, not just body parts.
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Date: 2006-12-14 08:57 pm (UTC)And I think you're totally right about the economy of words--that's the thing. I'll bet if you look at the best descriptive passages they are good not just because they are pretty or describe things well, but are conveying something else throught the description. When you say you can "see" what the Shire looks like in Tolkien, for instance, I suspect that's because he imbues it with the right kind of feeling, not just because he describes what it looks like.
Heh--it's a little like porn in fanfic, probably. People want the feeling as part of the description, not just body parts.