A Study Of Literary Textual Metaphor From The Perspective Of Semiotics

Starting from Aristotle, metaphor studies have a long history of over 2,000 years, during which, a large variety of theories have been put forward, with the Theory of Comparison, the Theory of Substitution, the Theory of Interaction, the Mapping Theory and the Conceptual Blending Theory as the principal milestones. All of these theories conducted profound analyses of the features and composition of metaphor from two aspects:language and thinking, which ultimately turn metaphor from language decoration to the core feature of human thinking. However, each theory just focuses on one aspect of metaphor and hence, a more comprehensive study of metaphor is utterly necessary. At the same time, facing such a variety of theories, a framework is in need to sort out and analyse them so as to draw new ideas from them. Meanwhile, the study of metaphor is decelerating in the 21st century, with few fresh theories being advanced. Therefore, we think that a new methodology should be introduced into this field to solve the difficulties and determine a new direction of metaphor study.In this dissertation, we shall argue that semiotics could be the most ideal methodology for the study of metaphor. For such a multidisciplinary field with so long a history, semiotics, with features of systematicness, scientificalness and pluralism, can best illustrate its advantage as a methodology. Language Semiotics of Saussure can guide the study of language metaphor while the Logic semiotics of Peirce can guide the study of metaphor of thinking. Such a new perspective can offer us a way to solve the contradictions among the present theories and hence construct a comprehensive system of metaphor study, which could contain all theories concerning metaphor. Furthermore, such reflection can also offer new ideas for contemporary and future metaphor studies.As one of the three most important branches of semiotics, Cultural Semiotics of Lotman could serve as guidance for the current and future study of metaphor. The Second Modelling System, the Text Theory and the Semiosphere Theroy, which constitute the Cultural Semiotics, could all be applied to the study of metaphor. According to these theories, metaphor of literary text is to become a major topic in future metaphor study, which features systematicness and scientificalness. Such a study would put more emphasis on the subjective initiatives of human beings as the constructor and interpretator of any metaphor, stressing the process of metaphor rather than just the product of metaphor and focusing on the pluralism and the progressive nature.To apply the theories discussed above and to better demonstrate those features mentioned, we are to analyse the various metaphors in the play The Cherry Orchard of Anton Chekhov.