Developed by Paul Werth, Text-world theory attempts to provide an understanding of how humans process discourse. While it has thus far been primarily applied to written texts, Werth himself was adamant in its applicability to any variety of discourse, in which category I would include the visual arts and architecture. In general terms, Text-world theory claims that when humans communicate they process this communication by creating mental spaces or “worlds” into which a participant subsequently projects himself.
I argue that the distinctive elements of Roman fresco of all four Pompeian styles, while seemingly of starkly different character, in fact all worked as textual description to set a scene and aid a viewer in the construction of this mental world to inhabit, thereby engaging the viewer and creating a type of virtual experience. Examining Roman painting in this manner has the potential to enhance our understanding of how such such images were understood, negotiated, and interacted with in their ancient contexts beyond a mere analysis of style or subject.
