Cognitive Poetics of Allegorical Experience

Author(s):  
Raymond W. Gibbs ◽  
Lacey Okonski

Where does allegory come from? Most studies of allegory view it as a type of artistic or literary endeavor. Our claim is that allegory arises from ordinary experience as people seek to establish connections between the here and now and symbolic and figurative themes. Most embodied metaphors reflect patterns of allegorical thought. We describe some of the ways that allegory is expressed in life events and specific domains of discourse. We report college students’ interpretations of allegory in poetry and literature. We explore the hypothesis that understanding allegory requires people to engage in an “embodied simulation” process in which they imagine themselves participating in the events mentioned in texts. Several studies offer support for this theory, focusing on people’s interpretations of the works of poets and novelists. These findings suggest that allegorical understandings emerge from embodied, cognitive processes that are widespread throughout human experience as part of the “poetics of mind.”

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guler Boyraz ◽  
Victoria A. Felix ◽  
Lisa K. Battle ◽  
John B. Waits ◽  
Danita D. Wynes ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Anne Shonoda

Scholars in children's literature have frequently commented on the humorous and ideological functions of intertextuality. There has however, been little discussion of the cognitive processes at work in intertextual interpretation and how they provide readers with more interpretive freedom in the meaning-making process. Drawing on research from the field of metaphor studies and the interdisciplinary area of cognitive poetics, this article suggests that the interpretation of foregrounded intertextuality is analogous to the interpretation of metaphoric expression. Current models of metaphor interpretation are discussed before I outline my own intertextuality-based variant. The cross-mapping model developed is then applied to literary intertexts in Inkheart and cultural intertexts in Starcross in order to show how the model might work with intertexts of varying degrees of specificity and that serve different narrative functions. The explanatory power of the cross-mapping model is not limited to cases where elements in the primary storyworld can be directly matched with those in the intertext, but extends to instances that involve a recasting of the intertext and thus retelling as in Princess Bride.


Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Qinghua Chen ◽  
Wenqing Zhao ◽  
Qun Li ◽  
Harnof Sagi

BACKGROUND: with the increase of study and life pressure, the number of depressed college students showed an increasing trend year by year, and the drug treatment alone could not achieve a comprehensive recovery of depression patients, so it was more necessary to pay attention to the spiritual treatment. OBJECTIVE: this research aimed to better understand the relationship between college students’ depression and life events, social support, psychological pressure, and coping style, and the influence of systematic family therapy on depression degree, psychological stress, and social adaptability of college students with depression. METHODS: in this study, 105 college students with depression were selected as the research object, and healthy college students were taken as the control group. Through questionnaire, the differences in life events, social support, psychological stress, and coping styles between the groups were compared. The correlation between the degree of depression and various variables were analyzed, and the impact path of each variable on depression was analyzed using the path analysis model. Depression patients were then divided into a conventional group treating with conventional medications and an observation group treating with systematic family interventions. Differences in Hamilton Depression Scale-17, (HAMD-17), CPSS, and Social Adaptive Functioning Evaluation (SAFE) scores were compared and analyzed between the two groups before treatment (T1), during the treatment (T2), and after treatment(T3). RESULTS: there were significant differences in scores of life events, social support, psychological stress, and coping styles between the healthy control group and the depressed patients (P <  0.05). There was an obvious correlation between different depression degrees and life events, social support, psychological stress, and coping styles (P <  0.05). Life events, social support, and psychological stress had a direct and significant impact on depression (0.250, 0.218, and 0.392; P <  0.05), and they also had an indirect and significant impact on depression through coping styles (P <  0.05). The systematic family treatment model could significantly reduce HAMD-17 and CPSS scores (P <  0.05), and significantly improve SAFE scores (P <  0.05). CONCLUSIONS: adverse life events, lack of social support, excessive psychological stress, and negative coping styles can aggravate college students’ depression. Systematic family therapy can improve the degree of depression, reduce the psychological stress, and enhance the social adaptability of college students with depression.


2021 ◽  
pp. 074171362110275
Author(s):  
Stephanie J. Babb ◽  
Katrina A. Rufino ◽  
Ruth M. Johnson

The current study sought to measure how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health and well-being of college students, particularly nontraditional students. Participants ( n = 321) completed a series of surveys assessing their level of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, insomnia, and well-being. Participants also indicated their nontraditional student characteristics, level of resilience, and additional life stressors due to the pandemic. Statistical analyses found that participants reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and insomnia, with corresponding lower levels of well-being across all students, compared with prepandemic levels. Results showed that while nontraditional students indicated an increased number of life stressors during the pandemic compared with their traditional peers, nontraditional students also demonstrated higher levels of resilience. Nontraditional students appear to be more successful at managing stressful life events due to the increased resilience that comes with age and experience, which can better prepare them to persevere and overcome challenges.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward C. Chang ◽  
Elizabeth A. Yu ◽  
Tina Yu ◽  
Emma R. Kahle ◽  
Viviana Hernandez ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 106386
Author(s):  
Carol Wang ◽  
Pelin Cunningham-Erdogdu ◽  
Mai-Ly Nguyen Steers ◽  
Andrew Phillip Weinstein ◽  
Clayton Neighbors

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