Ekphrasis of the Mind: Eikon & Writing the Invisible A Novella and Exegesis

This creative PhD thesis explores the compelling landscape of Byzantine art in contemporary fiction writing, and ekphrasis as a function of imagination in the cognitive theory of the brain’s default mode network. Byzantine religious iconography and the brain’s default mode network are often underappreciated dimensions of art discussion in contemporary research contexts and creative writing practices. In this PhD exegesis, Byzantine religious iconography refers to the painted portraits of Orthodox Christian holy saints. The brain’s default mode network relates to the human mind which, when left unfocused, tends to ruminate on the past, plan for the near or distant future, daydream about unlikely events, and dwell on the true meaning of what other people say or might think. The exegesis asks: To what extent does ekphrasis, with its emphasis on processes of vivid visuality, function in the brain’s default mode network, involving the activities of mental time travel, simulation, wayfinding and prospection? What role does ekphrasis play in the literary mind? Does ekphrasis act as the mental rendering of experience? These questions are explored in three research pathways: Byzantine icon theory; the classical and medieval interpretations of ekphrasis; the cognitive literary theories of conceptual blending and parabolic projection; and the brain’s default mode network. The argument proposed is that the brain’s simulation system activates ekphrasis of the mind and acts as the mental rendering of experience.

The thesis consists of two closely integrated parts: an exegesis and an original creative work titled Eikon. The fiction novella titled Eikon is set in an imaginary province of Byzantium in the late ninth century and presents an ekphrastic response to Byzantine religious iconography. The exegesis also includes textual analysis of two contemporary fiction novels: How to be Both by Ali Smith (2014) and Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood (1988). Both novels reverberate vivid ekphrastic responses, incorporating themes of mental time travel and immersive encounters with invisible realms. Imagination has garnered less attention in cross-disciplinary scholarship, but more recently, neuroscientists, philosophers, and linguists are collaborating on the idea that imagination lies at the heart of human cognition. Byzantinists are calling for more collaboration on the cognitive dimensions of imagination, opening fresh perspectives on the human condition and offering opportunities for future creative storytelling.