The Painter Norton "is the only novel by Merrick, which tells the fate of the protagonist Theobald Norton and his companions. The novel follows the principle of linear narrative, but the narration does not proceed in a straight line. Instead, intertextual relationships are formed through elements such as memories, diaries, drama, and poetry, which increase the thickness and multidimensionality of the narrative. The "posture" in novels plays an important role in text construction and meaning orientation in the tension between narrative text and images. Researchers have analyzed novels from different perspectives, including communication issues, the relationship between text and image music, the relationship between civilization and art, and the exploration of image and imagination. On this basis, this article further explores the role and significance of "posture" in novels.

1、 The posture frozen in the image quote

The novel "The Painter Norton" explores the solidification and flow of posture in image quotations through the paintings of the protagonist Theobald Norton. Baron Asfield's description of Norton's oil paintings and sketches reveals the process of posture as the other pointing and self pointing, closely related to the body. The posture of the water demon extending its arm and the conflicting reactions of the young man in the oil painting depict a contrast between active and passive. The "image posture" in sketching implies the theme of the novel through death imagery and semantic elements, such as noctuids, the faces and legs of the dead, tombs, etc. The portrait of a gypsy girl in the third painting, although not directly described, showcases her demonic beauty and connection with the protagonist's fate through her uncle's diary and the viewer's reaction. The postures in these paintings not only solidify the themes of desire/fear and death, but also serve as building elements for the narrative of the novel as body postures and figurative images.

2、 Narration brings' images back to the home of posture '

Deeply explored how to revitalize the postures in images. Through Agamben's theory, the author analyzes how postures in painting are activated by narrative and flow in the novel. The image quotes in the novel, such as "Water Demon" and "Death Reaper Gathering," point to static moments, but the vitality they contain drives the development of the narrative. This vitality embeds posture into the plot and character relationships of novels through repetition and variation, such as the relationship between Norton and Elizabeth, as well as its expression in plays and poetry. These postures maintain their core in a frozen state, while undergoing deformation due to changes in the scene and plot, promoting plot development and forming intertextuality between different text types, achieving the superposition and displacement of meaning. Especially the first encounter between Norton and Elizabeth, as well as the artistic image of the gypsy girl Elizabeth, have been repeated and mutated in the novel, forming a directional posture that predicts death. In the end, the gypsy girl Elizabeth took Norton's soul, a process witnessed and narrated by the blind son of the gardener, demonstrating the complex relationship between the solidification and flow of "posture" in narrative and image interaction.

3、 The reference and displacement of posture to others

The posture performance in Murrick's novel "The Painter Norton" was influenced by the narrative styles of "body posture" and "figurative imagery" from the late 18th to early 19th century, which originated from painting and theatrical art. The flow of posture in narrative text is the instantaneous release of its solidified meaning. Warburg's "Passion Formula" reveals the inheritance power of visual symbols, believing that visual symbols are the "energy storage" of culture. The themes of temptation and being tempted in novels are deeply rooted in German and European cultural traditions, such as the Sirens, the Little Mermaid, and other water elf images. Merrick quoted image quotes from cultural memory, which were presented in the form of "human constructed images" to give posture relevance. Posture has communicative functions, such as the conflicting attitudes of teenagers towards female demons. The referent of the other in the narrative of a novel is complex, and the postures frozen in the image quotes are transformed into symbols in the narrative flow, making the referent of meaning diverse and vague. The love relationship between Norton's uncle and the gypsy girl showcases the attraction and conflict between self and others. Elizabeth became the object of fear in civilized society, and Norton's relationship with her was a conflict between art and civic moral order. The novel portrays the contradiction between the desires of people in the new era to cross boundaries and secular moral norms, as well as the resulting division. Agamoto believes that the mythological solidification of modern images has been broken, and people should talk about posture. The "posture" in novels serves as a conscious memory, a visual reference to cultural memory, and its vitality is expressed in words, becoming an event with situational characteristics. The posture points towards desirable and fearful 'others', such as beauty, lust, wildness, and death. In the conflict between personal desires and the moral norms of civil society, posture solidifies into an inescapable fate of death.