Ekphrasis in the Presence of the Image: Inger Christensen on Painting and Jørgen Leth on Film

Anna Estera Mrozewicz

Abstract

This essay argues that the presence of the visual reference can enhance the process of reading ekphrases, contributing to the texts' efficacy. Confronted with the visual works, the ekphrases discussed here reveal meanings that could not be made clear without references to the actual images. To demonstrate this, I analyze two works from contemporary Danish literature. Since the word-and-image liaisons are staged in both texts as gendered, drawing on the tradition of the paragone and questioning both the opposition between word and image and the implied gender stereotypes, my analysis focuses particularly on those relations.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationÉfficacité/Efficacity : Word and Image Interactions
EditorsJan Baetens, Catriona MacLeod, Véronique Plesch
Number of pages15
Place of PublicationAmsterdam and New York
PublisherBrill | Rodopi
Publication date2011
Pages129-144
ISBN (Print)978-90-420-3374-0
Publication statusPublished - 2011
SeriesWord and Image Interactions
Volume7

Keywords

  • Faculty of Humanities

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Ekphrasis in the Presence of the Image: Inger Christensen on Painting and Jørgen Leth on Film'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this