See it in language
Examples of Ekphrastic
A poem addresses the empty chair in a portrait and imagines whom it awaits.
Instructional example
An essay closely describes a mural before interpreting its public setting.
Instructional example
Description and interpretation form an ekphrastic response.
A story gives the painted figure a voice without claiming to recover historical fact.
Instructional example
Ekphrasis may transform rather than merely summarize art.
Show more examples
"Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats, in which the poet describes a series of scenes depicted on an ancient Greek urn.
"Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by William Carlos Williams, in which the poet reflects on the famous painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder.
"Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, a novel that imagines the life of the woman depicted in the famous painting by Johannes Vermeer.
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, in which the portrait of the title character serves as a symbol for his moral corruption and decay.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in which the patterned wallpaper in the narrator's room becomes a symbol for her own mental state.
Read like an editor
How to recognize it
- Define Ekphrastic by its central function, not merely by a nearby feature.
- Check the surrounding context before deciding that Ekphrastic applies.
- Explain what the classification helps a reader understand about the passage or work.
Questions readers ask
Frequently asked questions
What is the clearest way to recognize Ekphrastic?
Use the defining criteria and confirm them against the surrounding context rather than relying on one isolated word.
Is Ekphrastic a literary device?
No. In this reference architecture it is classified as literary form.