The metonym : Rhetoric and oral tradition at the crossroads

Metaphor is the glamor trope, getting all the attention in literary, linguistic, and philosophical circles (for instance, Lakoff and Johnson 1980). However, metonymy, the figure of association, may actually be the more important element to explain how human language and thought connect. The honoree of this Festschrift has demonstrated the centrality of metonymic referentiality to oral traditional aesthetics and noetics. Metonymy is also a concept in rhetorical studies, but generally has not been viewed as central to the rhetorical enterprise of persuasion. By adopting John Miles Foley's work as a lens through which to view the rhetorical function of metonyms, this article demonstrates that perhaps metonymy is of much greater significance to rhetoric than previously thought.Issue title: Festschrift for John Miles Foley. This article belongs to a special issue of Oral Tradition published in honor of John Miles Foley's 65th birthday and 2011 retirement. The surprise Festschrift, guest-edited by Lori and Scott Garner entirely without his knowledge, celebrates John's tremendous impact on studies in oral tradition through a series of essays contributed by his students from the University of Missouri-Columbia (1979-present) and from NEH Summer Seminars that he has directed (1987-1996)