Although C. S. Lewis was not a metaphor theorist, the issue of metaphor appears often enough in his writings for one to cull from them a general theoretical view. This thesis attempts to examine Lewis's thoughts on metaphor against the background of modern metaphor theory. Forty or fifty years ago such a study would have been less fruitful, for his views on metaphor so differed from contemporary theorists that their works offered no positive atmosphere in which to approach his work. Now, however, the general tenor of certain streams in metaphor theory has become more amenable to his views. Indeed, it appears that some key issues raised in modern metaphor theory exist in a seminal form in Lewis's writings. While Lewis cannot be put into any one school, modern theory offers the necessary tools with which to approach his discussions of the figure. This thesis, therefore, begins by briefly outlining the history of metaphor theory in so far as it relates to Lewis. The second chapter discusses his metaphysics, since he believed that his views on metaphor had metaphysical implications. The third and fourth chapters present Lewis's view of metaphor' process and function, as gleaned from his writings. Finally, the thesis concludes by relating Lewis's view back to his metaphysics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.23850 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Kingsmill, Patricia |
| Contributors | Williams, David (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of English.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001499973, proquestno: MM12044, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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