ISSN: 2222-6990
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Based on the theory of embodied cognitive linguistics, this paper examines vertical spatial metaphors in the Chinese modern classical local novels Hometown by Lu Xun and Border Town by Shen Congwen, analyzing their embodied cognitive foundations, linguistic expressions, and cultural implications. Rooted in human bodily experience and spatial cognition, vertical spatial metaphors establish conceptual mappings between concrete source domains and abstract target domains, shaping character portrayals, emotional atmospheres, and social narratives while carrying profound socio-cultural significance. Hometown by Lu Xun employs the opposition of “up” and “down” to depict the decline of family and societal transitions, offering a critique of rigid social hierarchies during the May Fourth Movement. In contrast, Border Town by Shen Congwen utilizes the dynamic interplay of vertical imagery to illustrate the flux of individual destinies in western Hunan, reflecting concerns over rural cultural crises and the impact of modernization. This study demonstrates that vertical spatial metaphors function as emotional projections and tension generators, reinforcing the narrative structure and deepening thematic expressions. In Hometown, they reflect disillusionment with social reality alongside aspirations for change, while in Border Town, they integrate human emotion with natural landscapes, crafting a poetic vision of harmony between nature and humanity. Through the process of embodied cognition, these metaphors serve as cognitive-emotional bridges, guiding readers to interpret spatial imagery, transform personal experience into critical insights on social and cultural dilemmas, and ultimately achieve aesthetic resonance and literary reinterpretation. This study highlights the significance of embodied cognitive linguistics in literary metaphor research, providing methodological insights into classical texts. Furthermore, it underscores the interdisciplinary potential between linguistics and literary studies, offering a framework for advancing embodied conceptual metaphor research and enriching approaches to literary interpretation.
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