The Exhilarations Of Changes: An Inquiry into the Motives of Metaphor
Open Access
- Author:
- Rotiroti, Frank Andrew
- Area of Honors:
- Philosophy
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Vincent M Colapietro, Thesis Supervisor
Vincent M Colapietro, Thesis Honors Advisor
Christopher P Long, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Metaphor
Creativity
Max Black
Carl R. Hausman
Paul Ricœur - Abstract:
- Metaphor, once regarded most favorably as an ornamental device and least favorably as an impediment to perspicuous communication, has recently been the subject of numerous studies in disciplines ranging from literary criticism to cognitive science. Despite the insight that they may afford into the functions and characteristics of metaphor, these studies often neglect the context in which metaphors actually develop. Even accounts most sensitive to metaphor frequently analyze metaphors in relative abstraction from their contexts. Context, however, is crucial to understanding the difference between two modes of metaphor: ordinary metaphor and poetic metaphor. Only poetic metaphor, on account of its ontologically creative function, can provide insight into the world. Ordinary metaphor, by contrast, relies on antecedent structures in the world to establish a shared perspective between metaphor-producer and metaphor-receiver, as a consequence of which it cannot be considered genuinely creative. The distinction between ordinary and poetic metaphor is helpful in overcoming many of the perplexities and mischaracterizations that detract from accounts in which this distinction is ignored. One way to distinguish between these two modes of metaphor is to evaluate their respective motives. While the motive of poetic metaphor is defined by its ontologically creative function, the motive of ordinary metaphor is defined by its interpersonal dimension. By using motive as a means of differentiating between these two modes of metaphor and of determining their individual merits, the view proposed in this paper establishes a more fruitful approach to understanding the creative aspects of metaphor. Following this analysis, an afterword serves as an appreciation of poetry, guided by the reflections of Jorge Luis Borges, and offers a recommendation for the poetry of Wallace Stevens.