Saturday, June 26, 2010

"He had high cheekbones..."

Have you ever noticed how many characters in fiction are described as having "high cheekbones?" The incidence of high cheekbones in fiction is so high that a character would almost need to not have high cheekbones to stand out.
How far back does this go? I wonder if Prussian authors gave characters from Wisconsin or Florida high cheekbones. How widespread is it? Does an Asian writer cite high cheekbones as the distinguishing characteristic of a Brazilian? It’s a cliché that is worth giving up, in English literature, at least.

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