Vocab Term: Ekphrasis

Definition: Involves the rendering of images into words. This is also concerns literature as ekphrasis involves a literary exploration of meaning between text and images. This has to do with digital literacy because ekphrasis involves being able to understand and interpret certain visuals.

DH Source: Knowing how to interpret visuals is an important component to DH. Often visuals that involve data or certain pictorial references contain important metadata components. Also, understanding how to better transform words into images is an important practice in DH since “out culture has taken a turn toward pictorial dominance” (Engberg 527)

Commentary: The increase of visual literacy has led to a surge in multimedia components. Many people in western society now expect a multimedia presentation of information. In other words, visual literacy and the conveyance of meaning through text and images is a crucial component of DH, perhaps more so than any other field, especially since those in the DH field often explore these kinds of relationships.

Engberg, Maria. “Word-Image” The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.