When Photography Meets Words:"Photographic Ekphrasis"in The Blind Assassin
In the postmodern context,photography has been endowed with a complex system of signification,leaving ample space for diverse interpretations.In The Blind Assassin,Atwood skillfully integrates photography into the narrative,making it an important metaphor that connects the core themes.Photography,in the form of metonymy,constitutes a poetics of memory,serving as the medium through which the protagonist reflects on and revisits her family history.The alternative coloring of the photographs and the"left-handed"writing both represent a surrealist perspective,which,while exploring the spiritual dependence and subjectivity of women,also compose"another dimension of space"of freedom and creativity.The spectral or liminal nature of photography,moreover,underscores the fact that Alice's memoir writing is a process of negotiating with the dead.Through"photographic ekphrasis",Atwood calls readers'attention to the forgotten or repressed memories,guiding them to reconstruct historical consciousness from multiple perspectives.She also reveals the liberating potential inherent in the art of photography,while exposing the dialectical relationship between history and the future,and inspiring people to find hope for the future by understanding and reflecting on the past.
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