When Metaphor Becomes Flesh: Reconceptualizing Synaesthetic Metaphors in Becoming Animal
Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska sectio FF – Philologiae December 29, 2025 Agata Walek
David Abram's book Becoming Animal uses metaphorical language to reveal and enact the embodied character of human experience. The physical dimension of metaphor invites readers to sense the protagonist's carnality resonating within their own body, fostering a reciprocal exchange with the world through synaesthetic metaphors. The article argues that embodiment enables a natural union of the senses, challenging the Aristotelian model of five distinct senses and questioning the status of so-called synaesthetic metaphors—grounded in lived experience, they may no longer be strictly “synaesthetic” or merely “metaphorical.” The analysis uses conceptual metaphor theory and phenomenological insights from Maurice Merleau-Ponty.