Metaphors and the Expression of Emotions: In Support of a Special Relationship

This paper stems mainly from previous studies of Black’s metaphor theory and research experiences in the educational field that I was able to carry out in the Department of Education and Humanities in Reggio Emilia. The suggestion provided by the article cited in the epigraph was the trigger for this reflection on the expressive value of metaphor. Moving through some considerations about Black’s interactive view of metaphor, some grounds will be suggested for assessing the appropriateness of metaphor for presentation of meaning and expression of emotions. It will be explained that, in commenting on Nelson Goodman’s work, Black first distanced metaphor from expression and then brought them closer together. Finally, the linguistic form of interaction will be examined as constitutive of an expressive and emotive value of metaphor.