Introduction

Part of the paradox of metaphor is that one need not know how it works to be able to use it. One of the most important contributions made by recent discussions of metaphor has been to show how spontaneous and pervasive a phenomenon it really is. This more democratic view contrasts sharply with the traditional notion of metaphor as a deliberate stylistic choice, which can at best captivate by its beauty and at worst be downright misleading. It also demonstrates precisely how limited all theoretical discussion of metaphor is, since such theory affects the way we actually use metaphor about as much as a detailed understanding of anatomy affects the way we walk.