Visual Metaphors and Aesthetics

Reviews / Votes

Visual Metaphors and Aesthetics is incredibly audacious, which should encourage researchers to take an interest in reading this book. * Metaphor and Symbol * Gal pulls this off with ease through smart and elegant writing, building up her theory point by point, chapter by chapter. Irrespective of which metaphor theory we follow, the result is a highly engaging and stimulating read that will undoubtedly spark countless debates on the nature of metaphor in the long run. What is certain is that Gal's thought-provoking-might I even suggest provocative-book offers a fresh and original insight on metaphor, substantially expanding the perspective for metaphor scholars working in any discipline. * British Journal of Aesthetics * Michalle Gal's Visual Metaphors and Aesthetics: A Formalist Theory of Metaphor is a major accomplishment. It takes seriously the imagistic, material, and imaginative dimensions of metaphor, and it shows that language use is shot through with painterly ambitions. This is a theory of metaphor by a philosopher of art for philosophers of art, and it is most welcome. * John Gibson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Louisville, USA * Human thinking is primordially tactile and visual, and on the visual level from the very beginning imbued with metaphors. On the linguistic level the ubiquity of metaphors of course meets the eye, but it is only when looking at their visual origins that an explanation of how they function can be given. Michalle Gal provides this explanation in an outstandingly informed and informative, creative and lucid way. A must read for anyone for whom the iconic turn is more than a metaphor. * Kristof Nyiri, Professor of Philosophy, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary * Michalle Gal draws on recent developments in visual culture, and on the work of a number of under-appreciated thinkers-Arnheim, Aldrich, and Gombrich, among them-to offer a resourceful, spirited defense of an ambitious new theory of metaphor. Her rich book promises to unsettle widespread assumptions about metaphor as well as the history of philosophical aesthetics. * James Shelley, Professor of Philosophy, Auburn University, USA * This important work is well researched, well organized, and well written. * Philosophy in Review *