METAPHOR AND METONYMY

“Metaphor and Metonymy” is an extract taken from David Lodge's Nice Work, a postmodern novel. It records a peculiar and funny dialogue between the main characters of the story: Robyn Penrose and Vic Wilcox. They are arguing on some posters repeating every mile the advertise of a pack of cigarettes, the focal point of the discussion is the meaning of the picture itself.

Lodge's aim was to underline the difference between Metaphor and Metonymy and at the same time to entertain the reader, so he built up a funny dialogue between two people very different from each other: Robyn is a female teacher with a deep interest in research and in particular in the semiotic one and Vic is a man of low culture not interested in thinking or learning. So the discussion resulted at the same time enjoyable and rich of food for thought.

Robyn's speaking about the significance of the cut on the silk in the picture well explain how metaphor and metonymy work. According to the text, metaphor is based on similarity while metonymy is based on contiguity; which means that metaphor gives in some ways a judgment on the subject while metonymy aim at creating connection which only an “intelligent” reader can appreciate. Otherwise Vic's reactions underline a superficial way to examine reality only looking at the seeming meaning of things.