Vividness
Imagery is an essential component of the section of the book in which the author deals with the fundamental importance of writing vividly. As an example, he draws upon one of the undisputed titans of the art of imagery, Charles Dickens, by illustrating his point with a quote from Bleak House:
“When the sun shone through the clouds, making silvery pools in the dark sea.”
An Experiment in Imagery
The author constructs an experiment in the way that imagery works in the mind to create a picture in the brain which the reader can “see” even though, of course, it can’t really be seen. Of course, to concretize this experiment, the author does include an actual image which will not be repeated here, but which essentially just replicates what the average person “sees” in their mind:
“Try this thought experiment:
1. Think of the capital letter D.
2. Now imagine it turning ninety degrees counterclockwise.
3. Now take it and mentally place it on top of the capital letter J”
(Hint: it’s raining.)
Describing Count Vronsky
Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina is a text which is central to the author’s premise. It is a work returned to again and again in the examination of the way that imagery is used to manipulate how a reader visualizes characters. Of extreme significance is the author’s reminder that imagery is used not just for the purpose of showing what a character is, but also what a character is not.
“By asserting that Vronsky
`was a squarely built, dark man, not very tall…’
…Tolstoy informs us that Vronsky is neither blond, nor short.”
Visions
The author uses quotes from various visionary circumstances to illustrate the precision with which imagery can be tweaked and adjusted to fit the purpose. What is the difference between a vision described within the fever dream of drug abuse and that which originates from a neurological condition which organically arises from deterioration of the brain:
“Narcotic vision (Thomas De Quincey):
`A theatre seemed suddenly opened and lighted up within my brain, which presented nightly spectacles of more than earthly splendour.’
Epileptic vision (Dostoyevsky):
His brain seemed to catch fire at brief moments … `His sensation of being alive and his awareness increased tenfold at those moments which flashed by like lightning. His mind and heart were flooded by a dazzling light.’”
