A Comparative Study Of Metaphors In Shakespeare’s Sonnets And Li Shangyin’s Untitled Poems From The Cultural Perspective

Metaphor is not only a phenomenon of language, but also a mode of thinking, which is closely related to culture. Metaphors, to a large extent, influence the framing of cognitive thinking and the understanding of poetry. Therefore, this thesis tries to compare and analyze metaphors in English and Chinese poetry from the cultural perspective, as to better understand the use of metaphor in poetry and its cultural universalities and variations. This thesis is composed of seven parts.Introduction depicts the general background where the study sets, the main reasons to conduct the study and the overview of the whole thesis.Chapter One is the literature review related to the study. The author firstly presents some important theories of metaphor abroad, especially Conceptual Metaphor Theory which servers as the theoretical basis of this thesis. Then metaphor studies at home and the future research trends are discussed. Furthermore, the author lists studies on metaphor in poetry at home and abroad and also points out the purpose and significance of this thesis.Chapter Two focuses on relationship between metaphor and poetry and that between metaphor and culture. Definitions and classifications of metaphor and culture are given in many ways.Chapter Three makes a comprehensive comparison of metaphors in Shakespeare’s sonnets and Li Shangyin’s untitled poems. It begins with the introduction to two poets and their works and then follows with the analysis of the similarities and differences of metaphors on different target domains. Chapter Four explores the fundamental reasons behind the similarities and differences of metaphors from the cultural perspective. It is found that similarities of metaphors are mainly due to common bodily experience and common cognitive structure. Different historical background, physical environment, religion and social customs, literary tradition and philosophical background give rise to differences of metaphors in English and Chinese cultures.Chapter Five is the findings of the thesis. Metaphor has some cultural universalities and variations. This study is conducive to better understanding of metaphors in poetry and cultural context.Conclusion summarizes the main questions discussed in this thesis and the limitation of the study.This thesis, based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory, analyzes the similarities and differences of metaphors in Shakespeare’s sonnets and Li Shangyin’s untitled poems and explores the cultural reasons behind them. It is hoped that the study can contribute to better understanding cultural universalities and variations of metaphor.