A consideration that must frequently enter the minds of fiction writers is “How much space ought to be given to the description of a character?” It is a tricky question as it forces an author to decide whether the description must precede, and be treated at par with, the action in which the character is involved or vice versa. In fiction written in the twentieth century and earlier there was a tendency to devote much space to such description. But with time, particularly after mid twentieth century, the number of writers who have devoted much space to describing minute details of the characters’ looks, figures, etc., has been waning. Novelists like Charles Dickens and D. H. Lawrence have been few.

Writers who go into extended descriptive activity must have their reasons for doing so. They would probably want to keep the reader very clear about the exterior features of their characters. Extended description is possible only at the cost of narration, for narrative must stop when description begins. If an author needs to keep the reader’s mind on the physical appearance of characters he must believe that the description adds to the need and the enhancement of the storyline or the plot. Description can add humour and/or pathos to the plot. For instance an author can write:

“Sheila had an enormously long nose. It was cylindrical to a large extent though it was difficult to miss its conicality, its triangularity and its rotundity in addition. She could make a rare use of her nostrils to ward unwanted people off. When a child was visiting Sheila with a guardian it became necessary for the guardian to forewarn the child not to look at Sheila’s nose for long or to comment on its uniqueness. Even a child’s observations about her nose could make Sheila feel extremely vexed and push her on to the brink of tears.”

The above passage contains the humour as well as pathos that Sheila’s nose can invite. Hence such a descriptive passage would contribute to the understanding of Sheila’s character that may have, to an extent, been shaped by her unusual nose. But consider the following lines in which the description does not add much to the understanding of Sheila’s character though it does help us to see her looks better. Only the last sentence informs us of her character:

“Sheila had an enormously large nose. She had a long face and small lips. Her hair was curly and richly black. Her curly locks fell on her roundish shoulders. Her teeth were larger than normal and did not seem quite compatible with the size of her lips. On her forehead were wrinkles that could garner much grievance.”

In the contemporary scenario, the average reader has less time for reading and would like to come to the what happens next sooner than readers did three or four decades ago. Reading extended descriptive passages slow down the narrative pull and can irritate the contemporary reader. Descriptive passages can lend depth to writing no doubt, and make it more literary, though sometimes exasperating for the reader with the paucity of time. The writer today needs to weigh carefully his need for descriptiveness. He should use extended descriptions only is he is writing literary fiction. He could well be spoiling the narrative flow by his urge for descriptiveness.

It should be remembered that by keeping the descriptions less the author invites the reader’s imagination to play an increasing role in the reading process.  Readers see the objects, places, people, etc., in the novel, according to their own experience of life, which can at times help the flow of the novel better than in a situation where the writer’s descriptive abilities force the reader to pin his imagination down to particular objects or people somewhat in accordance with the author’s desires. It, mustn’t be forgotten though, that if contemporary literary theories are to be believed, the reader will always fail to capture the signifiers as intended by the author. The reader’s signified will always be different to the author’s signifier. Hence too much time and attention given to description may not help either author or reader.