Cognitive poetics

Definition

Cognitive poetics is an interdisciplinary approach that examines the relationship between cognitive processes and the understanding of literary texts. It investigates how readers create meaning through mental constructs, such as imagery, metaphor, and narrative structure, thereby revealing how our cognitive capabilities shape our interpretation of figurative language.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Cognitive poetics emphasizes the role of mental processes in reading and interpreting literature, suggesting that our understanding is shaped by cognitive frameworks.
2. The approach often uses insights from psychology and linguistics to analyze how readers engage with figurative language like metaphors and similes.
3. Cognitive poetics helps in understanding how literary devices evoke emotional responses and create deeper connections to themes and characters.
4. By exploring concepts like mental imagery, cognitive poetics shows how readers construct vivid pictures in their minds when engaging with a text.
5. This perspective highlights the dynamic interaction between text and reader, emphasizing that meaning is not fixed but co-created through individual cognitive experiences.

Review Questions

• How does cognitive poetics enhance our understanding of metaphor in literature?
  • Cognitive poetics enhances our understanding of metaphor by illustrating how readers utilize cognitive processes to interpret figurative language. Metaphors often rely on mental mappings between different domains, allowing readers to form connections that deepen their comprehension of the text. By focusing on how individuals mentally engage with these metaphors, cognitive poetics reveals the active role of the reader in constructing meaning.
• Discuss the significance of mental imagery in cognitive poetics and its impact on reader interpretation.
  • Mental imagery is significant in cognitive poetics because it demonstrates how readers visualize concepts and narratives while engaging with texts. This process can evoke emotions, enrich understanding, and create a more immersive reading experience. By analyzing how mental imagery influences interpretation, cognitive poetics underscores the importance of individual cognitive responses in shaping literary meaning.
• Evaluate how cognitive poetics changes traditional views of reading literature by emphasizing the interaction between reader and text.
  • Cognitive poetics changes traditional views of reading literature by shifting the focus from a purely textual analysis to understanding the active role of the reader's mind in meaning-making. This approach argues that interpretation is not solely based on the text itself but rather on how readers' cognitive processes, experiences, and emotions interact with literary devices. As a result, cognitive poetics promotes a more dynamic perspective on literature, where meaning is collaboratively constructed rather than passively received.

Related terms

Metaphor: A figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.

Mental imagery: The experience of seeing images in one's mind, which plays a crucial role in how readers visualize and interpret literary texts.

Narrative theory: A theoretical framework that explores the structure of narratives, focusing on how stories are constructed and understood by readers.