Abstract
The use of political body and illness metaphors in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance has been portrayed in the history of ideas as a preliminary stage to ‘modern’ uses, due to its alleged grounding in ‘humoral’ medicine and micro-/macrocosm cosmology. This chapter reviews these claims through analysing the use of the body—state metaphor in the twelfth-century cleric John of Salisbury’s treatise Policraticus. The analysis shows that John’s metaphor use is highly rhetorical and that his scenario of medical treatment for a diseased state even resembles present-day usage in some respects. In conclusion, we discuss ways in which a discourse-oriented perspective can link cognitive and historical approaches to metaphor analysis.l
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Musolff, A. (2009). Metaphor in the History of Ideas and Discourses: How Can We Interpret a Medieval Version of the Body-State Analogy?. In: Musolff, A., Zinken, J. (eds) Metaphor and Discourse. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230594647_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230594647_15
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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