Literature and the Metaphoric Universe in the Mind

by Nicolae Babuts

Overview

Nicolae Babuts believes that the study of metaphoric thought and literature can be enriched by the application of recent discoveries from neuroscientific c experiments. He maintains that metaphors are neither linguistic formations nor conceptual formations, but instead the product of association of images and language. They are a matter of vision.Memory is an essential component in the creation of meaning and is the way the mind receives messages from the outside world. In this process of transferring data from the outside world, the mind's overriding tendency is to integrate and interpret. Thus, incoming messages are recognized and given meaning whether they are in harmony with the inner world of the mind or in confl ict with it.Babuts argues that the literature we read is related to our perception of reality. And reality has two identities: the physical identity of the outside world and its symbolic identity within memory. The symbolic identity of the outside world is represented internally by the metaphoric universe in the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781351508506
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/05/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	600 KB

About the Author

Nicolae Babuts

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroduction1 Memory Revisited2 Retrieval and Recall3 Dynamic Patterns and Metaphors4 The Metaphoric Meaning5 Religion, Ideology, and Sacrifice6 Transfiguring the Real7 The Alpha and Omega of Love8 Vision, Values, Beliefs, and Feelings9 The Symbolic Identity of the Real in MemoryWorks CitedIndex

Editorial Reviews

"At the heart of Babuts' book, though, is a brief for bringing literary discussions of memory into the interdisciplinary mix of research in neuroscience, philosophy, evolutionary biology and the social sciences. “The most neglected discipline in cognitive circles is literature and literary criticism,” he argues. In short, Where's the Proust? —Peter J. Leithart, First Things "In this slim but convincing volume, Babuts (emer., French, Syracuse Univ.) postulates that memory drives meaning making in the chain of metaphor-aided imagination. He divides the discussion into nine cogent, accessible chapters that progress from theory to literary examples ranging from Homer to Baudelaire, Mallarme, and Proust. Memory, according to Babuts, does not construct or reconstruct meaning ; it creates meaning through metaphors that function as a crucial mnemonic device to integrate language and vision in a faithful facsimile of the world transfigured. Thus memory is at the core of a self that actively seeks to create meaning through the metaphoric universe of the mind . Combining incoming stimuli from the outside, metaphor transfigures data to be in harmony with the beliefs and values that dominate the inner universe. In addition to interpreting stimuli , memory assigns value, positive or negative , in accordance with the individual's beliefs . This dynamic interaction reveals a new understanding of reality. This new meaning is subjective, and that subjectivity extends to scientific discoveries, which are by nature the product of an interaction between outside stimuli and rational analysis . Building a solid case for a cognitive theory of literature, Babuts plunges into the philosophical debate on truth, existence , and meaning. Though not easy, the volume is a worthy read." —K. Liu, CUNY

From the Publisher