THE THOUSAND FACES OF METAPHOR: CASE STUDIES FROM SO-CALLED OLD GERMANIC AND PRESENT-DAY CULTURE

When we say "There's a strong connection between this person and me" or "There's chemistry between the two of us", we are using metaphors from respectively, the internet and IT, and from the domain of inorganic elements.By doing this, we postulate an analogy between human beings and computers or chemical elements. How do we motivate this analogy: only on the abstract level of language structure, or are we suggesting a sort of real, i.e. substantial, union of animate and inanimate domains of the world? And, even more importantly: WHY do we feel the need to express our innermost states of mind by comparing them to a PC or a chemical element, which do not have their own "innermost states of mind"?

In this course, we will be dealing with these and other questions. We will investigate the nature of metaphor and its topical role in many fields of human experience and culture. The course is built partly on frontal lectures, partly on exercises, self-designed projects, and workshops. In this way, we will tackle the phenomenon of metaphor both on a theoretical and a practical level. The empiric corpus of evidence includes present-day, modern, and especially medieval sources. The ultimate aim of the course is that its attendants acquire a deeper awareness and confidence in their ability to use and enjoy the potential of metaphors in the domains of emotion, cognition, expression, and interpersonal communication. 

1. General introduction to the aims and contents of the course. Lesson with exercises

2. Metaphor in the history of Western rhetorics. Lesson with exercises 

3. Metaphor theories: a historical survey. Lesson with exercises

4. Theories focusing on the functions and aims of metaphors. Lesson with exercises

5. Foundational metaphors in Western culture. One example: the text. Lesson with exercises

6. Metaphors in present-day visual and written present-day sources. Lesson with exercises

7. Metaphors, kenningar, heiti in the Old Germanic imaginary. Lesson with exercises

8. Metaphors from selected texts in languages from the Old Germanic language group: OE Beowulf, OE The dream of the rood, ON Edda, OHG Hildebrandslied, Sankt Trudperter Hohes Lied. Lessons with exercises

9. Conclusion: Oneiric Drawing Workshop on metaphors.

Here is an overview of the Dublin Descriptors for the Bachelor level as they are practiced in this philology course (adapted to philology from the Appendix III, pp. 1-2, to the EHEA Paris 2018 Communiqué):

DD1: acquire (demonstrate) knowledge and understanding in philology. Students learn the principles and practice of philological work.

DD2: apply knowledge and understanding within philology and related fields; basing on knowledge from DD1, demonstrate the competence  to sustain arguments and  solve problems in  other fields. Students learn to apply the principles of philological work on texts from non-Germanic and non-ancient cultures and learn to make connections with academic fields outside philology.

DD3: gather and interpret relevant data within philology to inform judgements that include reflection on relevant social, scientific and ethical issues. Students become aware of the ethical implications of some fundamentals of philology in present-day society: for instance, respect for the authenticity of sources as pursued in philology as a means to detect fake-news and source manipulation in power-led human interactions, or the relevance of the hermeneutical ability to 'understand through contextualizing' as applied in real-life situations besides their philological work.

DD4: can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences within and outside philology. Philology students acquire high confidence in their own linguistic skills through thorough linguistic analysis of sources; they train their rhetorical skills by analyzing the rhetorical component of texts as well as preparing written and oral presentations. They train these competences both in the regular course and in the labs.

DD5: have developed those learning skills that are necessary for them to continue to undertake further study and undertake investigations also outside philology with a high degree of autonomy. Students learn and train these skills in this philology seminar by designing their own interest-driven examination project.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Ca. 50% of the teaching and learning units consist of frontal lectures; the other 50% are designed on student-centered learning principles, therefore they are interest- and enquiry-driven, and they require the students' active participation.

Innovative teaching methods

Exercises

Contest

Workshop

Attendance

You should be willing to carry out all the learning and self-assessment activities designed for the course, including homework.

Course books

BASIC TEXTS FOR ALL:

1) One text of your choice from:

Ghiazza, Silvana; Napoli, Marisa. 2007. Le figure retoriche. Parola e immagine. Bologna: Zanichelli.

Lausberg, Heinrich. 1963. Elemente der literarischen Rhetorik. Eine Einführung für Studierende der klassischen, romanischen, englischen und deutschen Philologie. Ismaning: Max Hueber

Mortara Garavelli, Bice. 2011. Prima lezione di retorica. Bari: Laterza.

Lakoff, George; Johnson, Mark. 2003 [1980]. Metaphors we Live by. With a New Afterword. Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press.

FURTHER STUDY TEXTS, OF YOUR CHOICE, TO BE AGREED WITH THE LECTURER:

(to be chosen according to one's field of interest. N.B.. TEXTS OUTSIDE THIS LIST CAN ALSO BE AGREED WITH THE LECTURER):

Brinker, Klaus; Cölfen, Hermann; Pappert, Steffen. 2018. Linguistische Textanalyse: Eine Einführung in Grundbegriffe und Methoden. 9., durchgesehene Auflage. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag. (Vanno bene anche edizioni precedenti).

Olsen, Karin E. 2002. “Metaphorical Density in Old English and Old Norse Poetry”. Arkiv för Nordisk Filologi 117: 171 - 195.

Rolf, Eckard. 2005. Metaphertheorien. Typologie, Darstellung, Bibliographie. Berlin, New York: de Gruyter.

Wagner-Hasel, Beate. 2006. "Textus und texere, hýpnos und hyphaínein. Zur metaphorischen Bedeutung des Webens in der griechisch-römischen Antike". In: Kuchenbuch, Ludolf, und Kleine, Uta (Hg). 2006. 'Textus' im Mittelalter. Komponenten und Situationen des Wortgebrauchs im schriftsemantischen Feld. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, S. 15-42.