Lausberg’s standard handbook of literary rhetoric defines ekphrasis as “the detailed description of a person or an object”. The entry cross-references the Latin term evidentia, “the vividly detailed depiction of a broadly conceived whole object through the enumeration of (real or invented) observable details” (Lausberg 1998: §810, §1133). Bartsch and Elsner (2007: i) summarize the multifarious power of this figure with admirable clarity:
Lausberg’s standard handbook of literary rhetoric defines ekphrasis as “the detailed description of a person or an object”. The entry cross-references the Latin term
evidentia, “the vividly detailed depiction of a broadly conceived whole object through the enumeration of (real or…
3756 words
Citation: Bernstein, Neil. "Ekphrasis in Latin Epic". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 July 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19589, accessed 25 April 2024.]
