Metaphor

Metaphor: A Psychoanalytic View offers a profound exploration of the interplay between language, psychology, and artistic expression, using metaphor as a central lens. Rooted in psychoanalytic theory, the book delves into the psychological underpinnings of metaphoric communication, emphasizing its dynamic ability to transfer emotion, meaning, and unconscious material between creator and audience. Drawing from Hawthorne's use of the "Tongue of Flame" as a metaphor for the transformative power of language in The Scarlet Letter, the author expands on how metaphor can transcend direct communication, forging a deeper communion between individuals by tapping into shared emotional and experiential frameworks. The book positions metaphor not as mere ornamentation but as an active, imaginative process central to human thought and creativity.

In addition to unpacking the psychological resonance of metaphor, the text examines its structural and dynamic qualities, such as ambiguity, tension, and interplay between conscious and unconscious elements. Drawing on thinkers like Aristotle, Shelley, and Bachelard, it argues for metaphor's centrality in artistic and poetic endeavors, presenting it as a "meta-metaphor"—both a tool for expression and a phenomenon to be studied. By integrating insights from psychoanalysis with a focus on the emotional and relational dimensions of metaphor, the book provides a compelling framework for understanding how figurative language shapes and is shaped by the human psyche, ultimately linking linguistic creativity to the broader currents of imagination, identity, and shared cultural experience.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1978.