P.B. Shelley and the spirit of beauty : conceptual metaphor theory and the notion of poetry in A defence of poetry and Hymn to intellectual beauty

Summary of master thesis on P.B. Shelley and the Spirit of Beauty This thesis consists of three parts. The first part gives the basic ideas of the conceptual metaphor theory, especially as George Lakoff presents it. My objective is to show that Shelley s views on metaphoric/poetic language coincide with the central ideas of conceptual metaphor theory .Then the thesis moves on to show Shelley s strong connection with British Empiricism. It is necessary to emphasise this connection, to oppose an understanding of Shelley s poems and essays as expressing neo-Platonic views. The second part consists of an analysis of A Defence of Poetry, as I study some conceptual metaphors at work in the essay. The target domains beauty , imagination , poetry and poets are linked to the source domains: Music , Childhood and Savages , Naked body and Clothes , Substances and Forces . In this analysis, I show how Shelley grapples with fundamental questions of epistemology as well as those of the nature of poetic language. My conclusion here is that Shelley is surprisingly modern in his understanding of metaphorical language. Part two ends in a discussion on metaphor and truth, and I try to refute a contemporary interpretation of A Defence which labels him as a neo-Platonic, although the author of this article supports conceptual metaphor theory. The third part consists of a close reading of Hymn to Intellectual Beauty . My question is, to what degree do Shelley s ideas of beauty , imagination , poetry and poets from A Defence, find their poetic expression in this poem? In my analysis I show the shortcomings of some common readings of this poem due to a misunderstanding of Shelley s empiricism and notion of metaphor. I suggest a reading more in agreement with the ideas Shelley expresses in A Defence, and hopefully more true to his declared atheism and ties to British Empiricism. By the end of part three I want to show that Shelley s view on poetry, as it is expressed both in A Defence and Hymn , is that poetry contributes to the great project which brings mankind forward, in a never-ending liberation process. My conclusion is that conceptual metaphor theory and the ideas Shelley expresses coincide, and thus they mutually enforce each other. As conceptual metaphor theory has been regarded as a discipline of linguistics, most practical studies so far has not been done on factual literature or poetry. There is much work left in analysing literature from the perspective of conceptual metaphor theory, and my thesis is an attempt to show that literary analysis from this perspective can open up for new and interesting readings. Frøydis Tvete, 27.4.0