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2. Name - Hina Parmar
Roll No - 10
Sem - 3
Enrollment no - 4069206420220021
Email - hinaparmar612@gmail.com
Subject - From Art to Literature: Exploring Ekphrasis Novels ‘The
Goldfinch’, ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
Paper no - 210A
Paper code - 22417
Paper - Research Project Writing: Dissertation Writing
Submitted to - Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Personal Information

3. Chapters of Dissertation
Chapter 1 : Introduction
Chapter 2 : Literature Review
Chapter 3 : Ekphrasis in ‘The
Goldfinch’ and ‘Girl with a Pearl
Earring’
Chapter 4 : Ekphrasis in Oscar Wilde's
‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
Chapter 5 : Conclusion

4. Chapter 1 : Introduction
❖ What is Ekphrasis?
❖ James A. W. Heffernan, Murray Krieger on
Ekphrasis
❖ Classification of different types of Ekphrasis
- Interpretative Ekphrasis
- Psychological Ekphrasis
Three Ekphrasis Novels-
❖ ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt
❖ ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ by Tracy Chevalier
❖ ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde

5. Chapter 2 : Literature Review
❖ Ekphrasis: Theory
❖ Ekphrasis and the Novel/Narrative Fiction
❖ Ekphrasis in the Age of Digital Reproduction and Media
❖ Ekphrasis in ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt
❖ Ekphrasis in ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’
❖ Decadent Ekphrasis in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
Hypothesis
Donna Tartt's use of "spatial contextual ekphrasis' ' in ‘The Goldfinch’ represents the protagonist's
trauma. Tartt's novel illustrates the significant influence of traumatic experiences, such as the loss of a
parent and exposure to violence, on the protagonist Theodore Decker's personality development, as
observed through the lens of Erikson's psychosocial development theory. Tracy Chevalier's novel ‘Girl
with a Pearl Earring’ functions as an ekphrastic exercise by vividly reconstructing the creation of
Vermeer's painting through detailed descriptions of the artist's studio, materials, and techniques. The
contrast between the pearl earring and the girl's modest attire in Vermeer's painting symbolizes the vast
social divide between the wealthy patrons and the lower-class subjects. Oscar Wilde employs the
literary device of ekphrasis, the verbal representation of a visual artwork, to elevate the painted portrait
of Dorian Gray to a central.

6. Chapter 3 : Ekphrasis in ‘The Goldfinch’ and ‘Girl
with a Pearl Earring’
❖ Author's Introduction : Donna Tartt
❖ Introduction to Donna Tartt's Novel ‘The Goldfinch’
❖ Ekphrasis is used to represent Theo’s trauma in ‘The Goldfinch’
❖ The Ekphrastic Gaze in 'The Goldfinch' as British Postmodern Fiction
❖ The Infinite Value of Art in ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt
❖ Psychological Approach in Personality Development of Theodore
Decker’s Character
❖ Author’s Introduction : Tracy Chevalier
❖ introduction to Tracy Chevalier's Novel ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’
❖ Ekphrasis in Tracy Chevalier’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’
❖ Representation of Art in ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’
❖ Social inequality reflected in ‘ Girl with a pearl earrings’

7. Chapter 4 : Ekphrasis in Oscar Wilde's ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
❖ Author's Introduction : Oscar Wilde
❖ introduction to Oscar Wilde’s ‘The picture of Dorian Gray’
❖ Representation of Ekphrasis in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian
Gray’
❖ Decadent Ekphrasis and the Tragedy of Aestheticism in Dorian Gray
❖ The Conflict between Aestheticism and Morality in ‘The Picture of
Dorian Gray’
❖ Aestheticism versus Realism
❖ psychology and Amorphous Art in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’

8. Chapter 5 : Conclusion
❖ Ekphrasis, the literary device of vividly describing visual artworks through words, has
proven to be a powerful and versatile technique in prose literature.
❖ In Donna Tartt's 2013 novel ‘The Goldfinch’, ekphrasis is employed to represent the trauma
experienced by the protagonist, Theo, through the application of what scholar Hans Lund
has termed 'spatial contextual ekphrasis' - the relationship between the described artwork
and its immediate physical surroundings.
❖ Tracy Chevalier's novel ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is a prime example of literary ekphrasis,
the vivid description of a visual work of art. The entire novel emerges as an imaginative
backstory and supplement to Vermeer's iconic painting of the same name. While the real-life
inspiration behind the enigmatic pearl-wearing girl is unknown, Chevalier crafts an intricate
fictional narrative fleshing out plausible circumstances and identities.
❖ Ekphrasis is a crucial element in the novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gary’, as it is devoted to the
story of Basil's portrait of Dorian and delves into themes of art, artistic creation, and
aesthetics. The representation of the painting holds significance not only as a plot device but
also as a symbolic representation of Dorian's exploration of self-identity.

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14. Thank You