Understanding Ekphrasis in Literature

What is the modern understanding of ekphrasis?

• A detailed description of a historical event.

• The verbal representation of a visual representation.

• A type of abstract painting.

• The study of ancient languages.

What distinguishes ekphrasis from pictorialism?

• Pictorialism uses words to describe sounds, while ekphrasis describes images.

• Ekphrasis describes a picture that is itself a picture, unlike pictorialism.

• Pictorialism is a form of poetry, while ekphrasis is a form of prose.

• Ekphrasis focuses on emotions, while pictorialism focuses on facts.

What two types of mediums are brought together in ekphrasis?

• Auditory and tactile.

• Olfactory and gustatory.

• Visual and verbal.

• Cinematic and theatrical.

Which ancient literary work contains one of the oldest examples of ekphrasis?

• The Odyssey

• The Aeneid

• The Iliad

• The Epic of Gilgamesh

In Homer's description of Achilles' Shield, what does the poet emphasize about the images?

• Their vibrant colors.

• That they are images on a shield.

• Their symbolic meanings.

• The emotions they evoke.

What do modern poets often use as the basis for their ekphrastic poems?

• Imaginary landscapes.

• Real works of art.

• Historical documents.

• Personal dreams.

Victoria Chang's poem "Edward Hopper Study: Hotel Room" is an example of ekphrasis based on a painting by which artist?

• Vincent van Gogh

• Pablo Picasso

• Edward Hopper

• Claude Monet

Which detail from Victoria Chang's poem is explicitly mentioned as matching a feature in Edward Hopper's painting?

• A red-corseted woman.

• A man telling his wife a story.

• A yellow letter creased in her hands.

• A queen-sized bed.

Besides cataloging features, what additional role does Victoria Chang's poem play in relation to the painting?

• It criticizes the painter's technique.

• It provides a historical context for the painting.

• It interprets the image and tells what the painter leaves unsaid.

• It suggests alternative endings to the scene depicted.

What is the etymological meaning of the Greek word "ekphrasis"?

• To draw a picture.

• To speak out.

• To write a story.

• To observe closely.