“Leda and the Swan”: Ekphrastic Interaction of the Sister Arts

Foreign Literature Studies ›› 2017, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (1): 108-118.

• Comparative Literature Studies • Previous Articles Next Articles

“Leda and the Swan”: Ekphrastic Interaction of the Sister Arts

Ou Rong, Liu Xiaofang

Online:2017-02-25 Published:2022-06-15
About author:Ou Rong is professor at School of Foreign Language, Hangzhou Normal University (Hangzhou 310036, China). She is mainly engaged in the study of modern and contemporary English literature, comparative literature and inter-arts poetics. Email:rongou2007@163.com; Liu Xiaofang is M. A. student of School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou Normal University(Hangzhou 310036, China). She is mainly engaged in the study of English literature and the inter-arts poetics. Email: 575599035@qq.com

Abstract

Abstract: “Leda and the Swan” is one of the most enduring motifs in western art and literary creation. The poem “Leda and the Swan” written by W. B. Yeats, being one of his most controversial works, has appealed to a large number of critics with studies mainly focusing on Yeats' political standing, the theme of rape, the intertexuality and the aesthetics of violence, etc.. Nevertheless, its inter-arts poetic value is yet to be further explored, and this paper aims to unravel the dynamic influence between the poem and the plastic art of the same motif, more specifically, to uncover the ekphrastic interaction between the sister arts, thus shedding new light on the interpretation of Yeats' poem.

Key words: Yeats, “Leda and the Swan”, inter-arts poetics, ekphrasis

Ou Rong, Liu Xiaofang. “Leda and the Swan”: Ekphrastic Interaction of the Sister Arts[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2017, 39(1): 108-118.

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