A Cognitive Stylistic Analysis Of Conceptual Blending In The Peony Pavilion And Romeo And Juliet

Cognitive stylistics is a relatively new branch of stylistics,which combines cognitive linguistics and stylistic research to explore the relationships between language,cognition and literature.As an important theoretical tool in both cognitive linguistics and stylistics,Conceptual Blending Theory(CBT)has proved its explanatory power for artistic works,artefacts and cultural phenomena,and its proposed conceptual integration model has been testified by a wide range of research as one of the most essential cognitive mechanisms for human beings.CBT is conceptually intertwined with Text World Theory and drama semiotics,yet the nature of their theoretical connections in cognitive stylistics has not been sufficiently investigated.In addition,in the field of cognitive stylistics there is a lack of systematic investigation of dramatic texts in general and a neglect of Chinese classical drama in particular.Given the above research background and gaps,the present study proposes a CBT-based analytical framework unified with Text World Theory and drama semiotics,which is then testified by a systematic and in-depth investigation of Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.Adopting both qualitative and quantitative methods,we explore the stylistic features of the two masterpieces for their commonalities and differences in a systematic and multi-layered fashion and hope to reveal the cognitive and social patterns that lie behind the linguistic forms of drama,as well as the conceptual nature of drama,which has largely been neglected by previous research.The analytical framework of this study is set up on the theoretical extensions of CBT with both contextualized and generalized models.Given that current CBT-based studies on contextualization are too abstruse for application to stylistic analysis,this research employs Text World Theory(TWT)to contextualize CBT model by treating Discourse-world construct in TWT as the contextual element in the framework.The union of TWT and CBT can also dissolve some internal weaknesses of TWT,such as world stratification and directionality.Concerning the generalized model of CBT,the present study elaborates it by joining generic integration templates and drama semiotics.Generic integration templates refer to those cognitive resources that are initially molded by on-line conceptual blending but become entrenched in socio-cultural activities and stored in long-term memory.We incorporate these templates with drama semiotics so as to refine the study of generic integration templates by rendering it more systematic.This newly established analytical framework of CBT is then applied to the stylistic analysis of The Peony Pavilion and Romeo and Juliet from two aspects.Firstly,the distinctive patterns of world construction in the two plays are explored.Four types of CBT-based world interaction are identified:Discourse-world and Text-world interaction,Text-world and Sub-world interaction,Text-world and Text-world interaction,and Discourse-world and Sub-world interaction.Based on these world interactions,this study proposes two levels of world-building:intra-world and inter-world.At the intra-world level,there are three dimensions:referential,temporal and instrumental.At the inter-world level,three ontological spaces are proposed:theatrical,realistic and dramatic.Secondly,the generic integration templates of the two plays are investigated.We recognize four types of generic integration templates:icon-based blending templates,index-based blending templates,symbol-based blending templates and discursive blending templates.Icon-based blending templates are mainly realized in two situations:1)the blending between stage directions and relevant utterances;2)the blending without involving on-stage characters.Index-based blending templates are concerned with the involvement of on-stage characters.Symbol-based blending templates arise from unconventional use of dramatic language by the playwright.Discursive blending templates refer to the blending in which the two inputs are distanced across long-range narration.In general,blending templates can be characterized along two dimensions:dramatic foregroundedness and conceptual distance.This study has the following findings.Firstly,concerning the construction of theatricality,it is found that(1)the general theatricality of Romeo and Juliet is stronger than that of The Peony Pavilion,as the latter attempts to strike a balance between theatricality and realness while the former's theatricality overwhelms its realness;(2)the performance of Romeo and Juliet involves more conceptual conflict than its rehearsal while that of The Peony Pavilion involves more conceptual fusion;(3)the theatricality of Romeo and Juliet is more typically realized by sensational expressions while that of The Peony Pavilion more relies on the realistic empathy established with its audience.The distinct realizations of theatricality in the two plays suggest that Shakespeare regarded drama as the product of commercial and theatrical activities while Tang Xianzu rendered drama as some kind of personal manifesto.Secondly,concerning the construction of realness,it is indicated that(1)although the illustrations of realness in The Peony Pavilion are more reserved than Romeo and Juliet,Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare show similar concerns for the entertaining and ideological functions of drama;(2)The Peony Pavilion focuses on the real world itself while Romeo and Juliet tends to relate the real world with religion and fate.Thirdly,narrativity of the two plays involves the following features:(1)mythology and natural world are equally essential for the narration of the two plays;(2)Shakespeare's preference for the material world is in line with the social context of the developing capitalism in the 17th century England,and Tang's dismiss of the material world indirectly responds to the curbed capitalism in the Ming society;(3)the construction of romance in Romeo and Juliet is more futuristic and less retrospective than in The Peony Pavilion;(4)more conceptual conflicts and less conceptual fusions are observed in Romeo and Juliet than in The Peony Pavilion;(5)Romeo and Juliet highlights the interaction between the characters and the outside world while The Peony Pavilion emphasizes construction of the identities of the characters.Fourthly,characterizations of the two plays are featured in the following aspects:(1)the heroines of both plays are more positive and futuristic towards the world and towards love than the heroes,which suggests a shared typical image of female as expectant and dreamy in both 17th century England and China;(2)the hero and heroine of The Peony Pavilion are bound at the narrative level while Romeo and Juliet are bound at both narrative and theatrical levels;(3)the foregroundedness of the heroes rather than the heroines in the world constructions of both plays implies the shared patriarchal convention in 17th century English and Chinese social contexts;(4)the hero and heroine in The Peony Pavilion tend to construct the world and their love with more conventionality while the two in Romeo and Juliet are subject to the co-existence of conventionality and conflict;(5)in The Peony Pavilion,Liu Mengmei seems to attach equal importance to fame and love while Du Liniang weighs love more;in Romeo and Juliet,Romeo's love is more mixed with fate than Juliet's,but their complicated view on love is consistent with their view on fate.From these findings it can be observed that in the two plays:(1)distinct tendencies of different theatrical activities(e.g.,rehearsal/performance and theatrical reception)are foregrounded,which can be accounted for by divergent authorial intentions between Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare;(2)narrative features partly reflect authorial preference and socio-cultural bias;(3)subjectivity of authorial intentions in the construction of reality is the most highlighted;and(4)the distinctiveness of temperaments between the heroes and the heroines is prominent,which can be attributed to gender difference and more deeply to gender-related social unbalance.Thus,we argue that social constructs impact the formation of the dramatic system in a culture,which to some extent indicates that drama is partly a product of socialization.The theoretical contributions of this study can be summarized along the following lines.Firstly,this research extends and refines the theoretical map of CBT with a substantial formulation of both its contextualized and generalized frameworks.Secondly,the study testifies the complementarity and compatibility of CBT with other theories,including a systematic account of the relation between CBT and TWT and a pioneering exploration of the combination between CBT and drama semiotics.Thirdly,the study proposes a drama-specific-cognitive stylistic framework,which enriches the theoretical constructs of drama stylistics.The study also has the following merits concerning practical issues.First of all,our CBT-based cognitive stylistic framework for drama has the potential to be applied to dramatic texts in general.Secondly,with both qualitative and quantitative methods,the CBT-based cognitive stylistic analysis carried out in the present study is multi-layered,comprehensive and systematic and underscores the importance of holistic approach in the cognitive stylistic field.Thirdly,our cognitive stylistic analysis of The Peony Pavilion and Romeo and Juliet not only provides conceptual basis for more traditional studies of the two plays,but also proves the feasibility of interaction between cognitive linguistics and drama research.Fourthly,with an in-depth investigation of The Peony Pavilion and Romeo and Juliet,our analytical framework and research methods can hopefully provide a fresh cognitive stylistic angle for the comparison and contrast between Chinese and Western drama in general.