: Who are the most instructive authors to read to improve one's description skills? Are there any authors who went down in history as "masters of descriptions" (either of characters or of locations)

Vote Up Vote Down

I would go with Shakespeare. His imagery is unparralleled. Here is the Act One, Scene 2 from the start of Macbeth, a play by him.

Doubtful it stood,
As two spent swimmers that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald—
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him—from the Western Isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied,
And fortune, on his damnèd quarrel smiling,
Showed like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak,
For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—
Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valor’s minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops,
And fixed his head upon our battlements.

The sergeant says that. There is so much description, imagery and grandeur in this work. Look at the quote which smoked with bloody execution. His blade is smoking with execution!

I think you might want to look at Tolkien too. Tolkien was obsessed with old sounding and cool language.

My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail is a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death

That's from smaug, in the hobbit.

Conclusion

These writers have great imagery that you should read and look at. You'll notice some patterns between them, if you're observant. If you liked the sound of the work of these writers, you should try them out and give their work a read! However, they are very famous and I suppose you already will have read some of their work.

I hope other people can post other skilled authors to this answer and add to what we've already amassed.

(0)