Two Feasts of Metaphor

Reviews the books, Metaphor and Thought edited by Andrew Ortony (1979) and On Metaphor edited by Sheldon Sacks (1979). The Ortony volume derives from the conference "Metaphor and Thought" and, of the two volumes, is somewhat more ambitious in scope. Its goal is to present a representative cross-section of contemporary viewpoints, in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, on the nature and functions of metaphor. A variety of viewpoints from each field are given a thorough hearing, but overall the representation of each field is spotty. Indeed, one could hardly expect otherwise; representative coverage would require at least a volume for each area. The second volume, edited by Sacks, is equally heterogeneous and is, on average, more distant from the everyday cares of psychologists. The essays in the Sacks volume vary in opacity, but all are provocative and all are relevant to our discipline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)