Eol, yes that is true but when an author describes the character so much at the first encounter that the joy of discovery is destroyed it kills some of the wonder. I'd say this has become a pet peeve of mine because I don't like to have that sense of wonder scooped out from under me.
For instance, Tolkien's style is something that I truly admire for how he describes his characters. His descriptions are just right and allow the reader to wonder how the character will act in certain situations. Later, we learn more about the character through the trials and tribulations they go through. The way he writes has a nice smooth flow, and he doesn't go on too many rants about how the character acts.
Take Bilbo for example, at first I thought he was just a lazy-little hobbit but throughout the book he proved himself to be a small, lovable hero. (if you take the entire story to be truth [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img])
I hope this helped clarify my position, I'm not sure I'm describing a 'character rant' well enough so I'll try to find some excerpts to explain a little better.
[ August 27, 2002: Message edited by: Shadowstrife911 ]
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"It needs more to make a king than a piece of elvish glass, or a rabble such as this."
-the Mouth of Sauron
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