The Manifestation of Internal Confl ict by Means of Ekphrasis in John Banville’s The Sea

Abstract

This article explores the function of ekphrasis in The Sea by John Banville. It offers an analysis of the actual ekphrasis, introduced by Bonnard’s painting Nu dans le bain au petit chien, and the notional ekphrasis, provided by the photographs of incurable patients, symbolic of death. Showing that the knowledge of art allows the novel’s protagonist to fi t the visual images to his own circumstances in order to come to terms with the loss of his wife, the article concludes that ekphrasis also functions to decode his deep internal confl ict.