Definition:
A rhetorical strategy using sensory details to portray a person, place, or thing. One of the progymnasmata. See also:
- What Are the Progymnasmata?
- Sarah Vowell's Place Description
- Parenthetical Details in Capote's Place Description
- Essay Topics: Description
Etymology:
From the Latin, "to write down"Examples and Observations:
- "If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said, I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly; lean in flesh, weighing, on an average, one hundred and eighty pounds; dark complexion, with course black hair, and gray eyes--no other marks or brands recollected."
(Abraham Lincoln, Letter to Jesse W. Fell, 1859) - "Three years ago at a flea market, I bought a small, white-beaded handbag, which I have never since carried in public but which I would never dream of giving away. The purse is small, about the size of a paperback bestseller, and thus it is totally unsuited for lugging around such paraphernalia as a wallet, comb, compact, checkbook, keys, and all the other necessities of modern life. Hundreds of tiny pearl-colored beads dot the outside of the handbag, and on the front, woven into the design, is a starburst pattern formed by larger, flat beads. Creamy white satin lines the inside of the bag and forms a small pocket on one side. Inside the pocket someone, perhaps the original owner, has scrawled the initials "J.W." in red lipstick. At the bottom of the purse is a silver coin, which reminds me of my teenage years when my mother warned me never to go out on a date without a dime in case I had to telephone home for help. In fact, I think that's why I like my white beaded handbag: it reminds me of the good old days when men were men and ladies were ladies."
(Lorie Roth, "My Handbag")
Pronunciation: di-SKRIP-shun
