Copyright by Laura Mareike Sager 2006 - The University of Texas at ...

After developing a framework of four types of ekphrasis with increasing
degrees of complexity, which I call attributive, depictive, interpretive, and
dramatic ekphrasis, I apply my expanded definition of ekphrasis as an interpretive
tool, in order to demonstrate how different genres in either modality influence the
way the reader or viewer reconstructs the implications of a work of art. In so
doing, I show that literary and filmic ekphrases have a similar underlying agenda
– they are both closely connected to the paragone, the rivalry of the arts – but
often different social dynamics: While the literary texts tend to use ekphrasis to
underscore the personal function of art, the films generally emphasize art’s
involvement in socio-political contexts. In other words, in both the texts and the
films, ekphrasis is formally linked to the competition between the arts; yet,
thematically the literary texts generally focus more on identity issues, whereas the
films tend to be more interested in how art is related to the social, public roles of
individuals. In my conclusion, I discuss the audience-related function of ekphrasis
in film, as either cerebral or affective, which distinguished it from literary
ekphrasis.
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