Application Of Conceptual Blending Theory To The Meaning Construction Of Images In Imagist Poetry

As the soul and life of poetry, image is the linguistic expression of sensorial experiences. Image plays an essential role in poetry, especially in imagist poetry:imagists utilize many different kinds of images to compose poems. The study of images will help us better appreciate imagist poetry. At present, most scholars study imagist poetry from the angle of poetics, literature aesthetics and rhetoric, but few scholars pay attention to the study of meaning construction of images, therefore, this thesis tries to conduct a cognitive approach to images. In other words, this thesis analyzes the formation of images in imagist poetry on basis of conceptual blending theory.For the convenience of research, the author classifies image into single image and compound images (also called image combinations) according to the characteristics of imagist poetry. Based on this classification of images, meaning constructions of different types of images are interpreted. At first, single image with conventionalized metaphor and non-conventionalized are explored respectively. And it founds that single image with conventional metaphor is a basic cognition mode for the appearance of single image with non-conventional (inventive) metaphor, and single image with non-conventional metaphor is more attractive and impressive. Furthermore, the compound images are also discussed. According to Chen Zhi’e, there are four major compound images, namely superposition, juxtaposition, radiation and leap. Every kind of image combination is investigated from the conceptual blending perspective, which reveals the formation process of different image combinations in this thesis. It finds out that different image combinations indicate different mappings of mental spaces and conceptual integration networks.Fauconnier’s conceptual blending theory provides an effective and dynamic model of meaning construction. With four mental spaces and an emergent structure, the blending of images is interpreted in details. It is more accurate to explain the complicated language phenomena such as poetry. All in all, this thesis aims at applying of conceptual blending theory to the meaning construction of images in imagist poetry to show that conceptual blending theory is a universal cognitive mechanism having great explanatory power. It not only provides a new perspective to appreciate imagist poetry but also helps people to further understand conceptual blending theory.