Ekphrasis and the Other in Picture Theory

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Rita Dove’s Museum utilizes juxtapositions as a means to create a revision of history, to remove the ekphrasis fear mentioned in W. Mitchell’s essay “Ekphrasis and the Other” in Picture Theory. Dove, establishes a new history by blurring the lines of otherness, focusing more so on humanism, rather than female, and African American being something that is over come with otherness. In fact, as the article “Ekphrasis in the book: Rita Dove’s African American museum” mentions, “Dove’s long interest in ekphrasis both explicitly and implicitly in her use of it to dismantle otherness, to reach across the gaps between poet, image and audience.” Throughout Dove’s work she undoes the otherness reestablishing a connection between the histories then and presently, along with the self and other now, which can be seen in “Fiammetta Breaks Her Peace” and “Anti-Father.” In the poem “Fiammetta Breaks Her Peace”, Fiammetta is a retelling of Boccaccio’s character and often muse in the Decameron. However, Dove provides a voice to the voiceless, removing the male gaze of otherness, using the significanc...

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