Early Medieval Allegory and the Logic of Found Objects
Wesley Chihyung Yu
A metaphor's real referent may be said to disappear into its figurative meaning, but early medieval poems demonstrate a penchant for preserving and reifying those referents. This contrary conception of metaphor owes metaphysical expectations that are at work in reasoning, especially regards the signification word-units. Taking Tzvetan Todorov's history allegory as point departure, this article studies verbal Isidore Seville's Etymologiae Carolingian grammar-logic order reframe orientation tropes discussed by Bede, Alcuin, John Scotus Eriugena. We discover schema grammar logic is left under-studied modern semiotics. Extending rhetorical poetic uses words, arise from willful error philosophical approaches language, which saddles word with an unusual expectation produce sign, constituting style form inventional proof. While period not known developments contribute strength formal logic, investments fall under rigorous exploration interpretation inference, making rhetoric poetics indispensable praxes study exercise discursive reasoning Middle Ages.
Studies in Philology