AUTOINTERTEXTUALITY THROUGH THE PRISM OF CONCEPTUAL BLENDING IN SYDNEY SHELDON’S NOVELS

The present article addresses the role of blending mechanism in meaning-making in Sidney Sheldon’s novels, with a special focus on the author’s unique narrative style. Drawing on Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner’s Conceptual Blending Theory (2002), the study investigates the strategies through which Sheldon constructs intricate symbolic networks that reveal profound psychological and emotional dimensions in his characters. By examining the recurrence of central motifs, particularly the themes of betrayal and revenge, alongside narrative symbols across The Other Side of Midnight and Memories of Midnight, the analysis makes it possible to elucidate the development of an intertextual symbolic framework that reflects the characters’ path of experiencing emotional suffering toward transformation and subsequent self-discovery. Special attention is drawn to the function of stylistic devices as instruments of metaphorical transference, through which literal meanings are reframed into symbolic ones, generating a multi-perspective layering of emotional and symbolic meaning. Through this multidimensional approach, the paper uncovers the subtle strategies that make Sheldon’s style both distinctive and deeply resonant.