A Cognitive Approach To Metaphor In Fortress Besieged

This thesis is an attempt to analyze the phenomenon of metaphors used in Fortress Besieged within the frameworks of conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) and conceptual integration theory (CIT) so as to find out a relatively well-defined and systematic criterion for classifying metaphors and to explain their cognitive operating process.Distinct from the traditional views that treat metaphor as a figurative speech, conceptual metaphor theory views metaphor as not only a matter of language, but more importantly a kind of common cognitive mechanism and way of thinking. According to this theory, metaphor is the structural mappings from the source domain to the target domain. In contrast, Fauconnier's conceptual integration theory views metaphor as the cross-space mappings between two or more than two mental spaces, especially the integration of related semantic factors in each mental space. It generates the emergent structure in the blended space. In short, it is the on-line meaning construction of metaphor. CMT and CIT both treat metaphor as a conceptual phenomenon but not just a linguistic phenomenon. And they are concerned with the mappings between two conceptual domains. There are principles constraining the mappings. CMT claims that there is only the relationship between the two mental spaces, while CIT posits that there are associations between several mental spaces. The main point in CMT is the analysis of the established long-term conceptual relationship; whereas CIT research often focuses on novel conceptualizations which may be short-lived.This thesis is an analysis of more than four hundred samples of metaphor taken from Fortress Besieged, which have the generic-level concept HUMAN as their target domain. Metaphors which are thought to be isolated from each other are, in fact, combined as a unified system. There exist two main large subsystems, the Great Chain metaphor and the Event Structure metaphor. The (abstract) complex system is one subsystem of the Great Chain metaphor. The result of our analysis demonstrates that there are overlaps between the two systems. Some conceptual metaphors can be accounted for as being a part of either the Great Chain or the Event Structural metaphor. Apart from the analysis of the two large systems, the thesis discusses some novel metaphors, such as analogies, image metaphor, CONRETE IS ABSTRACT and so on.The thesis explains the problems that Conceptual Metaphor Theory cannot solve. It can be seen that literary metaphors are not a simple combination of two concepts, but instead they reveal the integration of physical experiences at deep level. In addition, some complex blend is constructed on the basis of simple blends. And several blends operate simultaneously, and they ultimately constitute a complete discourse structure.