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/lit/ - Literature

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[ERROR] No.2025692 [Reply] [Original]

How do you mentally picture the looks of the character in books you read? What about the locations?

If the author provides a somewhat detailed description of the looks of a character, do you follow it faithfully?

The reason I am asking is because I couldn't but picture Trillian in HHG2G as Zooey Deschanel though she was said "to look like an Arab" in the book.

>> No.2025703

Well yes, that's because that's the character she plays in nearly all of her films.

>> No.2025705

I don't think I visualise when I read anymore, is that possible?

>> No.2025707

It's vague, at best. If I'm told the character has a mustache early on, I'll probably forget unless it's tied to some incident. As for scenery, well, when they say something like they ran into the sea . . . I see people running into the sea.

Your example of Trillian for instance. I obviously read it, but I must have thought it was trivial and quickly forgotton it. Who cares anyway? It obviously had no impact on the story.

>> No.2025713

i might sound like a cripple but i am never able to visualise more than a few specks and even that i do in fashion of the artist who did that animations for the wall movie by pink floyd. aside from that i am usually influenced by the latest movie i have seen or early heavy metal comic books i read long time ago.
>>2025705
nothing is impossible but my best take is that you do picture things, but subconsciously
try reading this, for instance:
http://absurdist.obook.org/kharms/display.php?p=14
and i promise you will realise you do.

>> No.2025757
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[ERROR]

>>2025692
I don't recall that line, but I was under the impression that she was tan. Her name isn't Arab. Zooey is a far better choice than the blonde from the BBC version.

>>2025703
Electrically attractive and quirky?

How do I imagine the characters?
As best I can before the author decides to further describe them in chapter 4

>> No.2025768

I tend to picture them however I want and generally ignore descriptions beyond basic built and hair color. Sometimes I ignore that too if I like my version better.

When reading the Joe Pitt casebooks, I pictured Joe as being played by JGL because the character was a little bit like his character from Brick. This really clashed with the book whenever Joe was described as being a really big and intimidating guy. But, meh. Whatever.

>> No.2025910

Zooey was better than the agitating blonde in the 80s BBC show.

I think the Hitchhiker movie was better than fans give it credit for. Perfectly cast, even though Ford was black, Mos Def is awesome. Martin Freeman IS Arthur Dent, and Sam Rockwell was just perfect. I wish they did the two heads/three arms thing a bit better, but still. I enjoyed that movie quite a lot.

I mean, I obviously try to picture things based on what the author says.

>> No.2025949

Depending on the way they're described, I do sort of forget how the characters are supposed to look. But then again nothing is more aggravating than an author who takes every other paragraph to call attention to the flaxen hair or sky-blue eyes or blahblah attractive feature of their characters.

I think it works better when you're given less concrete detail and mainly left with an impression of the character (young and boyish, feminine and curvaceous, etc) and the reader can fill in the picture with whatever visuals they find most suitable.

Also the worst is when the cover shows the characters as looking completely unlike they're described in the story.

>> No.2026086

>>2025949
>I think it works better when you're given less concrete detail and mainly left with an impression of the character (young and boyish, feminine and curvaceous, etc) and the reader can fill in the picture with whatever visuals they find most suitable.

Seconded. Less is definitely more in this case.

>> No.2027086

If it's tied to a movie or series that I've seen I usually picture the characters like they are in that even if the discription in the book is different, i.e I kept picturing Marvin like he is in your pic despite being described as lanky. Otherwise I will picture the characters the way they are described at first but my mind doesn't like sticking to that and I'll be imagining them completely different unless I'm constantly reminded by the text.

>> No.2027368

I sort of vaguely visualize people, most of the time I've already decided what someone looks like before the author even describes them.