EKPHRASIS IN DETECTIVE FICTION: FIVE LITTLE PIGS BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

Abstract

The article examines ekphrasis as an intermedial phenomenon in fictional literature, focusing on its narrative and interpretative functions in detective fiction. Being characterised as a verbal representation of visual art, ekphrasis enables the transformation of visual imagery into textual form and encourages readers to create their own mental image of the described artwork. Due to the absence of fixed definition and boundaries of the concept in contemporary literary studies, the article focuses on the diversity of scholarly approaches to ekphrasis and explores its role in literary discourse, namely detective fiction. The research is based on Agatha Christie’s detective novel Five Little Pigs, in which a fictional painting plays a significant role in the reconstruction of the crime. As the painting has no real equivalent in art history, it becomes a key narrative element in the story, being described exclusively through the verbal testimonies of different characters. The absence of a real visual referent allows various interpretations of the same painting, which is shaped by characters’ memory of the item, as well as their emotional involvement. The analysis shows that the characters’ evaluations of the artwork are divided into positive and negative. Positive responses point out vitality, emotional input and artistic brilliance, while negative ones focus on technical flaws, incorrect composition and perspective. Critical remarks can be followed by softening disclaimers, allowing the speakers to distance themselves from full responsibility for their judgements. The painter’s imagined visualization of the future artwork can also be seen as a form of ekphrasis, showing that ekphrastic representation is not limited to the verbal description of an existing visual object, but is also possible in the absence of a material artefact. The article concludes that ekphrasis in Five Little Pigs serves not only as a descriptive device but also as an important narrative tool in the structure of the novel. By offering multiple, occasionally conflicting viewpoints on a single artwork, ekphrasis engages readers to participate and create their own interpretation of the imagined artwork.