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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
9. The Pool of Thanatos
Explanation and Analysis—Expansive Imagery:
Kerans's sublime sense of connection with the greater universe is a motif in the novel, particularly in moments when he is near death. Ballard uses imagery to emphasize death as a kind of return or reincorporation with the natural world. For example, in Chapter 14, Kerans feels as though the sun is flaring eternally outward from within his morphine-induced dreams:
Just before dawn, when the pain became unbearable, he took one of the morphine tablets and fell off into a loud, booming sleep, in which the great sun expanded until it filled the entire universe, the stars themselves jolted by each of its beats.
Related Themes:
10. Surprise Party
Explanation and Analysis—Art and Art History:
Allusions to music, art, and art history are a motif in the novel. One rich example occurs in Chapter 10, when Strangman summons Kerans, Beatrice, and Bodkin to a dinner party for which he has decorated with an array of plundered art surrounding a giant Renaissance painting:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Its title was ‘The Marriage of Ester and King Xerxes’, but the pagan treatment and the local background of the Venetian lagoon and the Grand Canal palazzos, coupled with the Quinquecento décor and costume, made it seem more like ‘The Marriage of Neptune and Minerva’, no doubt the moral Strangman intended to point. King Xerxes...seemed completely tamed by his demure, raven-haired Ester, who had a faint but none the less perceptible likeness to Beatrice. As he cast his eye over the crowded spread of the canvas...Kerans suddenly saw another familiar profile—the face of Strangman...—but when he approached the painting the similarity vanished.
Related Themes:
14. Grand Slam
Explanation and Analysis—Expansive Imagery:
Kerans's sublime sense of connection with the greater universe is a motif in the novel, particularly in moments when he is near death. Ballard uses imagery to emphasize death as a kind of return or reincorporation with the natural world. For example, in Chapter 14, Kerans feels as though the sun is flaring eternally outward from within his morphine-induced dreams:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Just before dawn, when the pain became unbearable, he took one of the morphine tablets and fell off into a loud, booming sleep, in which the great sun expanded until it filled the entire universe, the stars themselves jolted by each of its beats.
Related Themes:
