Physical Descriptions

So, I’ve been thinking as I’ve been reading about the detailed physical descriptions LT is using to talk about his characters.  I often don’t know what he’s talking about because I don’t know what it means to have an “austere nose” or a “noble brow.”  As far as picturing the people, I’m completely relying on my imagination, with a few helpers out there such as a “dark aspect” and “fat.”  I can understand those ones.  He often describes the women as well proportioned–which means what to a Russian? or having a long waist or high hairstyle.  Again, I’m not sure if it is good or bad to have a long waist.  I suppose it would depend on whether that waist were shaped like mine or shaped like18-year-old Britney Spears’.

Then I got thinking about why he uses those kinds of descriptions and realized that without instant picture messaging, one would have to be able to describe the charming prince to the girl living a distant 100 miles away.  I’m sure they had a vocabulary for describing people that was accurate and useful.  If you ask me what someone looks like, I’d say something like, “She’s tall and has short brown hair and brown eyes.  She is really thin and looked great in those jeans.”  I don’t think I would know how to describe a nose or neck or a waistline so that it was very meaningful to anyone.