Edited by Herbert L. Colston, Teenie Matlock and Gerard J. Steen
[Metaphor in Language, Cognition, and Communication 9] 2022
► pp. 45–62
This chapter discusses the impact of narrative contexts on readers’ experiences of metaphor. We begin by reviewing extant theories of metaphor processing to offer an analysis of contextual effects on readers’ metaphor understanding. Next, we outline a dual process perspective that suggests how readers’ experiences of metaphor are guided by both intuitive and reflective processes. We suggest that the separate function of those processes may transform readers’ experiences of metaphor quality. Finally, we explore readers’ individual responses to metaphors as a product of their accumulation of knowledge through distinct life experiences. Throughout the chapter, we support our analyses with examples from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Less (Greer, 2017).