Cognitive Poetics: Goals, Gains and Gaps (Applications of Cognitive Linguistics [ACL], 10)

Mouton de Gruyter, 2009. — vii, 560 pages. — (Applications of Cognitive Linguistics). — ISBN 978-3-11-020560-2.The present volume is primarily intended to promote dialogue between Cognitive Linguistics (as a special branch of cognitive science) and literary studies, although this “core dialogue” will be supplemented with approaches from other cognitive literary fields. The selection of chapters for this volume reflects a combined objective. First, studies were solicited that address key issues in both Cognitive Linguistics and literary studies. Topics relevant for poeticians include the construction of (text) worlds, character(ization), narrative perspective, distancing discourse (including irony), humour, emotion, poetic imagery, and others. Most of these issues are approached by applying cognitive linguistic concepts and insights, in an attempt to explore more systematically their explanatory potential for cognitive poetics. **Story**Text worlds The way in which text worlds are furnished: response to Elena Semino’s Text Worlds Cognitive approaches to narrative analysis Situating cognitive approaches to narrative analysis (commentary to Herman) Reflections on a cognitive stylistic approach to characterization Comments on Culpeper **Figure**Minding: feeling, form, and meaning in the creation of poetic iconicityFrom linguistic form to conceptual structure in five steps: analyzing metaphor in poetry Common foundations of metaphor and iconicity (commentary to Freeman and Steen) Metaphor and figure-ground relationship: comparisons from poetry, music, and the visual arts Hiding in plain sight: figure-ground reversals in humour (commentary to Tsur) **Stance**Deconstructing verbal humour with Construction Grammar A commentary on Antonopoulou and Nikiforidou Judging distances: mental spaces, distance, and viewpoint in literary discourse The event that built a distanced space (commentary to Dancygier and Vandelanotte) Discourse, context, and cognition (rebuttal to Vandaele) Does an “ironic situation” favor an ironic interpretation? Commentary on ‘Does an ironic situation favour an ironic interpretation? A reply to Albert Katz’s commentary Commentary on Giora et al. – from a philosophical viewpoint A reply to Edmond Wright’s commentary **Critique**How cognitive is cognitive poetics? Adding a symbolic approach to the embodied one Incorporated but not embodied? (commentary to Louwerse and Van Peer) Incorporated means symbolic and embodied (rebuttal to Geeraerts) Epilogue. How (not) to advance toward the narrative mind Mouton de Gruyter, 2009. — vii, 560 pages. — (Applications of Cognitive Linguistics). — ISBN 978-3-11-020560-2. The present volume is primarily intended to promote dialogue between Cognitive Linguistics (as a special branch of cognitive science) and literary studies, although this “core dialogue” will be supplemented with approaches from other cognitive literary fields. The selection of chapters for this volume reflects a combined objective. First, studies were solicited that address key issues in both Cognitive Linguistics and literary studies. Topics relevant for poeticians include the construction of (text) worlds, character(ization), narrative perspective, distancing discourse (including irony), humour, emotion, poetic imagery, and others. Most of these issues are approached by applying cognitive linguistic concepts and insights, in an attempt to explore more systematically their explanatory potential for cognitive poetics. Story Text worlds The way in which text worlds are furnished: response to Elena Semino’s Text Worlds Cognitive approaches to narrative analysis Situating cognitive approaches to narrative analysis (commentary to Herman) Reflections on a cognitive stylistic approach to characterization Comments on Culpeper Figure Minding: feeling, form, and meaning in the creation of poetic iconicity From linguistic form to conceptual structure in five steps: analyzing metaphor in poetry Common foundations of metaphor and iconicity (commentary to Freeman and Steen) Metaphor and figure-ground relationship: comparisons from poetry, music, and the visual arts Hiding in plain sight: figure-ground reversals in humour (commentary to Tsur) Stance Deconstructing verbal humour with Construction Grammar A commentary on Antonopoulou and Nikiforidou Judging distances: mental spaces, distance, and viewpoint in literary discourse The event that built a distanced space (commentary to Dancygier and Vandelanotte) Discourse, context, and cognition (rebuttal to Vandaele) Does an “ironic situation” favor an ironic interpretation? Commentary on ‘Does an ironic situation favour an ironic interpretation? A reply to Albert Katz’s commentary Commentary on Giora et al. – from a philosophical viewpoint A reply to Edmond Wright’s commentary Critique How cognitive is cognitive poetics? Adding a symbolic approach to the embodied one Incorporated but not embodied? (commentary to Louwerse and Van Peer) Incorporated means symbolic and embodied (rebuttal to Geeraerts) Epilogue. How (not) to advance toward the narrative mind For more than two decades now, cognitive science has been making overtures to literature and literary studies. Only recently, however, cognitive linguistics and poetics seem to be moving towards a more serious and reciprocal type of interdisciplinarity. In coupling cognitive linguistics and poetics, cognitive poeticians aim to offer cognitive readings of literary texts and formulate specific hypotheses concerning the relationship between aesthetic meaning effects and patterns in the cognitive construal and processing of literary texts. One of the basic assumptions of the endeavour is that some of the key topics in poetics (such as the construction of text worlds, characterization, narrative perspective, distancing discourse, etc.) may be fruitfully approached by applying cognitive linguistic concepts and insights (such as embodied cognition, metaphor, mental spaces, iconicity, construction grammar, figure/ground alignment, etc.), in an attempt to support, enrich or adjust ‘traditional'poetic analysis. Conversely, the tradition of poetics may support, frame or call into question insights form cognitive linguistics. In order to capture the goals, gains and gaps of this rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of research, this volume brings together some of the key players and critics of cognitive poetics. The eleven chapters are grouped into four major sections, each dealing with central concerns of the field: (i) the cognitive mechanisms, discursive means and mental products related to narrativity (Semino, Herman, Culpeper); (ii) the different incarnations of the concept of figure in cognitive poetics (Freeman, Steen, Tsur); (iii) the procedures that are meant to express or create discursive attitudes, like humour, irony or distance in general (Antonopoulou and Nikiforidou, Dancygier and Vandelanotte, Giora et al.); and (iv) a critical assessment of the current state of affairs in cognitive poetics, and more specifically the incorporation of insights from cognitive linguistics as only one of the contributing fields in the interdisciplinary conglomerate of cognitive science (Louwerse and Van Peer, Sternberg). The ensuing dialogue between cognitive and literary partners, as well as between advocates and opponents, is promoted through the use of short response articles included after ten chapters of the volume. Geert Brône, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; Jeroen Vandaele, University of Oslo, Norway. Main description: This volume offers a state-of-the-art collection of studies in the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of cognitive poetics. In coupling cognitive linguistics and poetics, cognitive poeticians aim to offer cognitive readings of literary texts. By bringing together key players and critics in a setting of interdisciplinary dialogue, this volume captures the goals, gains and gaps of this emerging field Edited By Geert Brône, Jeroen Vandaele. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.