Okuzeka
Literature vocabulary · Genres and Forms

Ekphrasis

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In literature, ekphrasis means: Writing that vividly describes or responds to a visual artwork.

In Turkish: ekfrasis, görsel sanatın yazıyla betimlenmesi

How it is used

Use for poems or prose responding to paintings, sculptures or other visual works.

Example sentences

  1. The poem uses ekphrasis to imagine the thoughts of a woman in a portrait.

    The poem moves from a visible image to an imagined inner life.

  2. Our discussion of ekphrasis compared the sculpture's stillness with the poem's movement.

    The comparison shows how writing can transform a visual work's effect.

Common collocations

  • poetic ekphrasis
  • an example of ekphrasis
  • imageryDescriptive language that appeals to the senses, such as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, so that readers can picture or feel what is described.
  • poemA single piece of writing in lines, often with a regular rhythm or rhyme, that expresses an experience, feeling or idea through carefully chosen language.

More terms: Genres and Forms

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: