When Hillary Clinton conceded in 2008 that she didn't quite 'shatter the glass ceiling', and when Rick Perry in 2012 called Mitt Romney a 'vulture capitalist', they used abbreviated metaphorical stories, in which stories about one topic are presented as stories about something entirely different. This book examines a wide range of metaphorical stories, beginning with literary genres such as allegories and fables, then focusing on metaphorical stories in ordinary conversations, political speeches, editorial cartoons, and other communication. Sometimes metaphorical stories are developed in rich detail; in other examples, like 'vulture capitalist', they may merely be referenced or implied. This book argues that close attention to metaphorical stories and story metaphors enriches our understanding and is essential to any theory of communication. The book introduces a theoretical structure, which is developed into a theory of metaphorical stories and then illustrates the theory by applying it to actual discourse.

This book defines and explains, in straightforward language, metaphorical stories using examples from sources such as conversations, speeches, and editorial cartoons.

About the Author
L. David Ritchie is Professor of Communication at Portland State University, where he has taught since 1990. He is the author of three books, including Metaphor (Cambridge, 2014).


Book Information
ISBN 9781107168305
Author L. David Ritchie
Format Hardback
Page Count 282
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 530g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 157mm * 20mm