Art is in museums, well protected by walls of critics, ready to rebuke any curious
uninformed person about art. Awe and respect are the attitudes required to look at a piece
of art; to appreciate its value, one may need knowledge related to history and aesthetics.
The cult of the sacred has for long dominated artistic thought to the extent that when
people now hear the word ‘art’, they are afraid to advance any argument in fear to
displease the initiated. With such received ideas, art has become more distant to people.
The idea that Tolstoy aimed to disseminate about art as constituting the bridge between
people’s feelings sounds unfeasible at present. The universality that art could demonstrate
lingered in museums visited by people from here and there. Such ideas hampered
students from getting in touch with works that could offer them other ways of looking
and construing the world around them. Alexandre Blok (1906), a Russian painter once
said that “painting teaches one how to look and how to see” (p. 24).
Indeed, to look, to see, to perceive, and to observe are different ways of appreciating
any work of art. Looking at a picture and pondering about its meaning is observing its
traits and perceiving its artistry. Verbs related to sight often entail examination,
inspection, scrutiny, study, and appraise. Whether the viewer is initiated to visual literacy
or not, the picture grabs his or her attention and impels understanding. No matter how
simple or sophisticated the result is, the act is nonetheless productive. Pictures provoke
thoughts as words do. Their judicious use in literature teaching may enhance the
interpretive abilities of students.
This thesis postulates that the use of visual art in the literature class can enhance
students’ understanding of literary works and movements. It can also trigger imagery and
therefore generate interpretations. However, it is important to underline the word ‘use’ in
contrast with the word ‘study’. This thesis is mainly concerned with the use of images in
literature teaching and learning, but not with the study of images as the latter is often
subsumed under an art syllabus. This study analyzes images against works of literature
with the purpose of facilitating understanding, spurring imagery, and therefore generating
interpretations. Therefore literature is the main focus of study but not art.[...]
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: Background to the Study
a-A Brief review of Literature
b-Defining Terminology
c-The Rationale of the Study
Chapter Two: Visual Art and Literature
a-Theoretical Basis
b-Painting and Literature
c-Photography and Literature
Chapter Three: Case Studies
a-When We Dead Wake vs “The sick child”
b-A Walk in the Night vs “Apartheid”
c-“The open boat” vs “Brig upon water”
d-“The hollow men” vs “The portrait of Ambroise Vollard’’
Implications for Teaching Literature
Objectives and Research Themes
This thesis investigates the interplay between visual art and literature, positing that the integration of visual images into the literature classroom enhances students' interpretive abilities. The core research question addresses how visual art—specifically painting and photography—can serve as a generative tool to trigger imagery, deepen understanding, and facilitate the construction of meaning in response to literary works.
- The relationship between literary texts and visual media as generators of ideas.
- Theoretical frameworks connecting image, imagery, and imagination.
- Stylistic and thematic analogies between visual art movements (classicism, romanticism, modernism) and literature.
- Practical pedagogical strategies for using static images to analyze complex literary themes.
- The role of "visual thinking" and "visual styles" in literary comprehension.
Excerpt from the Book
Imagery
Essential to the debate on images is the distinction between image and imagery. The term image is often used interchangeably with imagery, yet a difference exists between the two.
An image, as previously explained, is strictly a visual picture in the mind, while imagery extends to all sensorial perceptions in the mind involving visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory, gustatory, and even kinesthetic experiences (Cuddon, 1991, p. 443). Just as the colors of a painting may remain vivid in the mind of the viewer, so is the taste of a cake or the touch of silk or the sound of a jazz tune. Single memorable mental perceptions are in their turn called images, hence an explanation for the interchangeability of the two terms.
However, it is often the case that an image does not barely entail one experience, but may, intersect, or combine with other experiences (Cuddon, op. cit., p. 443). By way of illustration, the sting of a bee suggests a visual image, an auditory image (the bee’s buzzing), and tactile image (painful sting). In literature, the picture should be so clear to the reader as to arouse in him/her the event as fully experienced, to quote Conrad (1897) in his preface to The Nigger of the Narcissus:
My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel — it is, before all, to make you see. (p. 4)
Thus, the author of fiction is preoccupied with the extent to which he or she can make the reader exist within the imaginary world s/he created.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the thesis premise that visual art can act as a catalyst for deeper literary interpretation and specifies the focus on the 'use' of images rather than their 'study' as art.
Chapter One: Background to the Study: Reviews existing literature on media-based techniques in education, defines key terminology regarding visual and mental representations, and establishes the rationale behind the study.
Chapter Two: Visual Art and Literature: Examines historical and aesthetic parallels between literature and both painting and photography, exploring concepts like classicism, romanticism, and modernism.
Chapter Three: Case Studies: Provides practical analytical essays comparing specific literary works, such as Ibsen’s "When We Dead Wake" and Crane’s "The open boat," against corresponding visual imagery.
Implications for Teaching Literature: Discusses pedagogical strategies and considerations for educators integrating visual art into literature curricula.
Keywords
Visual art, Literature, Imagery, Imagination, Perception, Pictorialism, Modernism, Classicism, Romanticism, Intertextuality, Visual thinking, Pedagogical techniques, Literary criticism, Narrative, Symbolism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The work explores the functional relationship between visual art and literature, specifically examining how images can be utilized in the classroom to improve students' comprehension and interpretive abilities regarding literary texts.
What central themes are explored?
The study covers the intersection of word and image, the theory of imagery and imagination, the influence of historical art movements on literature, and the efficacy of using visual media as pedagogical aids.
What is the core objective of the research?
The thesis aims to demonstrate that visual art serves as a potential generator of ideas, helping students to visualize, reconstruct, and re-interpret literary worlds through a circular relationship between image, imagery, and imagination.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The research relies on a theoretical and hermeneutic approach, synthesizing cognitive psychology findings—such as dual coding theory and visual thinking—with historical art criticism and literary analysis.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It provides a theoretical basis for the interplay between the two disciplines, presents historical parallels (e.g., "ut pictura poesis"), and offers four detailed case studies analyzing various genres against specific works of art.
How can this study be characterized by its keywords?
It is best described by the synergy of visual literacy and literary analysis, emphasizing key concepts like mental imagery, the "visual turn," intermediality, and the application of visual art for interpretive learning.
How does the work distinguish between "image" and "imagery"?
The author defines an image as a concrete, often visual, entity or mental picture, whereas imagery is broader, encompassing all sensory perceptions—visual, auditory, tactile, and others—that occur within the mind.
What is the significance of the case studies presented in Chapter Three?
These studies serve to validate the theoretical framework by practically applying an art-based approach to diverse literary genres, such as comparing Edvard Munch’s painting "The sick child" with Ibsen’s "When We Dead Wake."
- Quote paper
- Mehdi El Mouden (Author), 2008, The Uses of Images in the Study and Teaching of Literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/181933
