Greenham’s book begins with a nod to George Lakoff’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), that metaphor, “far from being an ornament or rhetorical flourish, is central to the ways in which we experience and think about our everyday life” (p. 3). For Greenham, what sets Emerson apart from other writers of the 19th century is his profoundly self-aware use of metaphor, such that it anticipates CMT itself. In fact, the inspiration Emerson is so famous for is the direct result of his creative transformation of conventional metaphor. Emerson’s living metaphors, then, liberate readers from ossified tradition and their limited conception of their own talent, potential, and ability. Greenham makes his argument not only through his adept understanding of contemporary theory but also through a remarkable command of Emerson’s books and essays, especially Nature, “Circles,” “The Over-Soul,” “The Poet,” and “The Naturalist.” Those interested in Emerson’s rhetoric specifically, or literature and epistemology more generally, will be richly rewarded by a perusal of this book. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.
— Choice Reviews
"A compelling analysis of metaphor not just as a figure in the text of Emerson’s philosophy but as material to its very thinking and writing. Greenham delineates a generative, conceptual map for rereading Emerson’s mind at work in the metaphors on the page."
— Sean Ross Meehan, Washington College and author of A Liberal Education in Late Emerson: Readings in the Rhetoric of Mind
"Emerson’s Metaphors is a brilliant exposition of how consideration of the cognitive workings of a poet’s minding can illuminate and expand a conceptual theory of metaphor while at the same time revealing metaphor as the empirical basis of all human thought and language. Dr. Greenham traces in careful, comprehensive, and meticulous detail the emerging development of Emerson’s metaphorical thinking through his readings and experience of Natural History in creating a concept of identity relating nature, humankind, and God."
— Margaret H. Freeman, Myrifield Institute for Cognition and the Arts