Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day.” ...
Consider how the effect would have been weakened if, instead of the concrete, image-evoking word “throat,” Shakespeare had used the word which most of us would have employed, namely, the word “voice.” That word merely suggests a sound; “throat” flashes the visible image of that “bird of dawning.” We see. Not only do we hear that “shrill-sounding” trumpeter, but we see that straining throat. We are there with the bird.
Many other examples might be cited, but these must suffice to bring home once more, with fresh emphasis perchance the truth that, after structural form, after securing sequence, coherence, climax, unity, the most important factor in story telling is the apt and adequate employment of the image. Imagery is the magic of the story-teller’s art.
Endymion
By Frederick A. Child[2]
[2] Retold from Lyly’s “Endymion.”
Endymion is the name of a man who fell in love with the Moon, the beautiful, bright shining Moon whom the waves obey, and which sends her light silver down upon the earth to ripple across the tranquil waters and to shine upon the towers of sleeping cities, to creep peacefully into the bed-chambers of its inhabitants and kiss the tangled, golden ringlets of dreaming children. Now Endymion’s friends thought he was very foolish to fall in love with any one so far beyond his reach. Especially was this true of the Earth, who was, in fact, in love with Endymion. And altho Earth put forth her gayest and sweetest smelling flowers to attract Endymion, Endymion would not even take the trouble to look upon poor Earth, but always kept his eyes directed toward the shining Moon.