Ekphrastic Images in Rule of Perspective by Adam Thorpe

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the analysis of ekphrastic images in Adam Thorpe's novel Rule of Perspective (2005). The author of the article explores how ekphrasis – verbal representation of visual images – contributes to revealing the characters' worldviews, their emotional experiences, and the author's perspective. The main focus is on two storylines: Mr. Hoffer, an art critic and acting director of the German Museum, reflects on his life, disappointment in the Nazi regime and attempts to preserve dignity through memories of works of art. American Corporal Parry, having discovered a painting by the classicist Vollerdt among the ruins, perceives it as a symbol of hope and the future. Ekphrastic images, such as "degenerate art," Van Gogh's painting, and the sculpture "Dawn," serve compositional and metanarrative functions, emphasizing the contrast between the humanistic value of art and the inhumanity of war.