The Properties Of Mythical Metaphor And Their Function In "Resurrection Of Mythology"

This thesis mainly attempts to prove that people in industrialized societywith highly developed science and technology cannot carry on withoutmythical thinking. Mythical metaphor as the instrument of primarymetaphorical thinking is provided with social cultural implication and valuesof existence, which is determined by its inherent and unique attributes. First,this paper attempts to expound the relationship between myth and metaphor,and interpret mythical metaphor is the instrument of primary metaphoricalthinking. Furthermore, the hypothesis that industrialized society still needsthis primary metaphorical thinking as before is provided. Then, throughanalyzing many mythical archetypes in western literary and artistic workssince20thcentury, this thesis explores the social and cultural motivation andpsychological motivation of the phenomenon of “resurrection of mythology”,and then discusses the realistic significance of mythical thinking as primarymetaphorical thinking and mythical metaphor to meet the demand of humanspiritual home. Finally, it proceeds to illustrate the reason why mythicalmetaphor is provided with the above social function and values, throughanalyzing the imaginal, emotional, sympathetic and symbolic attributes ofmythical metaphor as the instrument of primary metaphorical thinking.The study of mythical metaphor invariably draws the active attention ofanthropologists, philosophers, psychologists, literary critics, linguistics and so on. The thesis, drawing support from the theory of interdisciplines, aims todo some research and analysis of mythical metaphor from the perspective ofphilosophy of language，based on the theories of metaphor, myth andarchetypal criticism, to analyze the relationship between myth and metaphorand to explore the influence of mythical metaphor on the resurrection ofmythology. Then, it is categorized and conducted in the method of casual andeffect reasoning, inductive reasoning and qualitative analysis according to thedemand to conclude the unique properties of mythical metaphor.Through the above study of mythical metaphor, the expected findingsare as follows: lots of mythical archetypes and primitive images arediscovered in modern literature and art, which test and verify the existence ofthe phenomenon of “resurrection of mythology” in literary and artistic field.In industrialized society, human faith and spiritual home suffers serious crisis,mythical metaphor as the instrument of primary metaphorical thinking canendow people with the ability to surpass linear and logical thinking,transcend the conventional rules and go beyond ourselves across time andspace, which decides the realistic implications and cultural values ofexistence. We need to understand the connotation of myth and theimplication of the world by means of mythical metaphor. Mankind still can not live without the mythical metaphor as the instrument of primarymetaphorical thinking in industrialized society.It is hoped that the findings of the research will make contribution to adeeper understanding and comprehension of mythical thinking and mythicalmetaphor. Through the support of interdisciplinary knowledge, the presentpaper is supposed to be able to dig out profoundly the root of metaphor frommyth, and reveal the properties of metaphor. It is expected that the researchwill enrich the theoretical foundation of metaphor and deepen ourunderstanding to the social function and values of myth and mythicalthinking.