The functions of ekphrasis in the universe of "Dishonored"

The subject of the study is the ways of representing works of visual art and the functions of ekphrasis in the interaction of gaming and literary forms within the transmedia universe of "Dishonored." The material of the study includes the video games of the "Dishonored" series and the official novel trilogy by Adam Christopher: "Dishonored: The Corroded Man" (2016), "Dishonored: The Return of Daud" (2018), and "Dishonored: The Veiled Terror" (2019). The goal of the research is to identify the patterns of change in ekphrastic representation when artworks transition from the gaming space to literary texts and to determine the connection between the mode of their presentation and their narrative functions. The analysis includes both the nomination of artworks in the gaming space and their subsequent representation in literary texts, which allows tracing the change in meaning of the visual image when shifting mediums. Special attention is given to the varying degrees of explicitness of ekphrasis and the role of prior knowledge of the game universe in the perception of visual objects, which in literary texts can be presented directly, indirectly, or only through contextual references. The methodological foundation consists of intermedial and comparative approaches. The typology of E.V. Yatsenko was used to classify ekphrastic representations. The scientific novelty of the research lies in identifying the patterns of change in the ekphrastic representation of works of visual art when transitioning from the gaming space to literary text. A connection has been established between the degree of explicitness of ekphrasis and its narrative function, and it has been shown that the nomination of artworks can perform not only an identifying but also an interpreting function. It is concluded that the change in the form of ekphrastic representation does not lead to a loss of meaning of the visual image. When moving from direct description to condensed, indirect, and zero forms, the importance of the recipient's prior knowledge increases, allowing for the reconstruction of the absent or partially represented visual object. Thus, ekphrasis ensures the preservation of the semantic connection between the visual image and the literary text while changing the form of its representation.