Embodiment in Metaphor and Imagery

This article investigates the construction of poetic meaning through two competing theoretical frameworks: the classical Aristotelian concept of mimesis (imitation) and the contemporary theory of cognitive mimesis. By contrasting these paradigms, we reveal fundamental divergences in their mechanisms of meaning-making. Our analysis begins with concrete examples embodied metaphor and imaginative projection—to demonstrate how each theory interprets poetic language. We then trace the historical development of meaning in poetic theory, from Aristotle’s emphasis on repressentation to modern cognitive approaches that prioritize embodied experience. This progression highlights how poetic meaning has evolved into an interdisciplinary nexus, bridging literary criticism, rhetoric, poetics, and cognitive neuroscience. Cognitive poetics, in particular, reframes poetic imagery through models of induction, generalization, and implicature (implied meaning). These models treat the image not as a static symbol but as a dynamic construct shaped by the reader’s imagination and perceptual grounding. Central to this approach is the principle of embodiment, which ties linguistic meaning to sensory-motor experiences and challenges traditional binaries between figurative and literal language. By examining how images emerge from and interact with everyday speech, cognitive poetics reveals the deep cognitive underpinnings of poetic effect.