Multimodal Metaphor

This volume is the first book-length study to investigate multimodal occurrences of metaphor, and is of interest to scholars interested in metaphor as well as in multimodal discourse. Each chapter investigates metaphors whose identification and interpretation depend on the co-presence of at least two of the following modalities: language, visuals, gestures, sound, music. On the basis of case studies in a variety of discourse genres (advertising, cartoons, films, comics, conversation, music, amply represented in photographs, logos, drawings, film stills, and musical scores), the contributors demonstrate that, and how, metaphor can occur multimodally, providing ideas and methodological angles enabling further theorizing and testing in this rapidly expanding field. Covering creative as well as conceptual metaphors, and where appropriate evaluating cultural factors governing metaphor interpretation, the contributors provide a wealth of material for studying the conceptual and rhetorical force of metaphor in contemporary society.