Monster Metaphors: When Rhetoric Runs Amok

This book explores how common metaphors can dominate everyday life, push out alternative perspectives, and be resisted. It uses four case studies to illustrate their destructive impact and offers strategies for challenging their dominance. It will be of interest to scholars in the study of metaphor.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 252 pages
Publication date: 11 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive exploration delves into the profound impact of common metaphors on everyday life, revealing their ability to exert undue influence and marginalize alternative perspectives. It explores how metaphors can expand in importance, dominating their respective domains and suppressing alternative viewpoints. The book begins by unpacking the dynamics of metaphors, their immense power, and the various rhetorical devices that support their dominance. Through four compelling case studies, Adams illustrates the destructive consequences when metaphors overshadow other points of view, such as the metaphor of mental illness, the metaphor of free-flowing markets, the metaphor of the mind as a mirror, and the metaphor of men as inherently superior. These examples serve as a catalyst for further reflection on the beneficiaries of these pervasive metaphors and the mechanisms by which they are propagated to serve their own interests. Moreover, the book raises important questions about the ways in which these metaphors can be challenged and dismantled, exploring strategies for preventing their rise and creating space for alternative perspectives. This insightful work will appeal to scholars and researchers interested in the study of metaphor, spanning disciplines such as linguistics, rhetoric, and media studies. By examining the pervasive nature of metaphors and their potential to shape our understanding and perception of the world, this book offers valuable insights into the complexities of language and communication.

Weight: 380g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032122106