A Cognitive Poetics Study On Imagery

Imagery is an important concept in literature. However, as the cognitive research of literature, cognitive poetics has not discussed it yet. Therefore, this thesis endeavors to make a preliminary study on this issue.The term"imagery"exists in several disciplines and its definition is various and ambiguous. Cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics define it as"mental representation of perception"(Wang Yin, 2006, p. 175), also adopting the terms"image","mental image"or"mental imagery"to refer to it. In psychology of literature and art, imagery is thought to be only imaginative image, which embodies particular ideas and emotions of the artist (Jin Kaicheng, 1999, p. 49). In aesthetics, imagery is also called"aesthetic imagery". Kant (2007, p. 143) uses the term"aesthetic idea", defining it as"representation of the imagination". In literature, there are not only definitions originating from traditional literary studies, but also definitions influenced by aesthetics and psychology. Then, what kind of definition should cognitive poetics adopt?Through differentiating several related terms from imagery, this thesis has made its own definition, concluding that imagery concerns language, cognition, aesthetic perception and emotions and thoughts of the author. This definition is comprehensive and objective, as well as applicable to cognitive poetics study.To better employ and appreciate imagery, it is also important to figure out the generation mechanisms of imagery. As to this issue, interpretations in literature and art are inclined to be comprehensive but subjective, while interpretations in cognitive science are objective but partial, excluding those factors as emotions and aesthetic perception. Therefore, those interpretations are not satisfactory to the study of cognitive poetics.Thus, this thesis puts forward CBT+ by amending CBT with figure-ground principle. CBT+ considers that blending proceeds under the guidance of the general cognitive principle—figure-ground. CBT+ is a more powerful interpretation instrument, especially for the interpretation of generation mechanisms of imagery, because it clarifies the direction of blending and is capable of explaining how the aesthetic perception happens.