8 - Synesthetic Metaphor in Poetry

Abstract

This chapter discusses synesthetic metaphor in poetry. The Doctrine of the Unity of the Senses provides a good starting point for interpreting synesthetic metaphor. In a nutshell, the doctrine says first, that there are meaningful similarities across different sense modalities, and second, that some of these similarities are appreciated by virtually everyone. Most synesthetic metaphors that are perceived immediately as appropriate derive largely from the same primordial unity of the senses that expresses itself in sensory synesthesia. Such metaphors typically convey intrinsic correspondences through dimensions like brightness or affect that are common to many or all sense modalities. Full synesthetic metaphors in this first category specify relatively unambiguously, if not always with great precision, the sorts of sensory qualities that are said to correspond. Apart from the commonplace, prosaic, dead synesthetic metaphors of everyday speech, poetry probably is the most fruitful source of verbal synesthesia.