Analysis of the metaphorical meanings of symbols in Milan Kundera’s novels

IF 0.9 3区社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Semiotica Pub Date : 2023-03-17 DOI:10.1515/sem-2021-0126

Qian Zhao

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Abstract

Abstract Milan Kundera is one of the most influential writers in contemporary world literature. In his novels, there are many symbolic metaphors related to numbers, dreams, and animals. Combing through the plots of Kundera’s novels, we can discover that among all the numbers, seven and twenty are used most frequently. These two numbers have rich metaphorical meanings. Besides, there are many other digital metaphors in Kundera’s novels, including 6, 4, etc. Apart from number symbols, Kundera has also inserted various kinds of dream symbols in his artistic creation. For Kundera, dreams are not just an individual’s physical and psychological activities, but also a continuation and supplement of real life. It can be concluded that dream narration is a perfect medium for the author to express his philosophical ideology. In addition, dream symbols also serve as an important medium for Kundera to demonstrate narrative skills and present important themes. In Kundera’s novels, animal symbols are integrated with the plots, revealing the personal traits of the relevant characters, and mirroring their spiritual world at the same time. Besides, Kundera also expressed his ecological ethics through the narration of animals’ death. In conclusion, the metaphorical meanings of different symbols in Kundera’s novels play an active role in highlighting the themes, revealing the inner thoughts of the characters, showing the special features of the characters, and expressing the author’s philosophical thoughts. These symbols help Kundera to break the limitations of time and space, which has become an important part of his polyphonic art. What’s more, Kundera has also tried to expand the original metaphorical meanings of these symbols to create some new poetic meanings.

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浅析米兰·昆德拉小说中符号的隐喻意义

米兰·昆德拉是当代世界文学史上最具影响力的作家之一。在他的小说中，有许多与数字、梦和动物有关的象征性隐喻。梳理昆德拉小说的情节，我们可以发现，在所有的数字中，使用频率最高的是7和20。这两个数字具有丰富的隐喻意义。此外，在昆德拉的小说中还有许多其他的数字隐喻，包括6、4等。除了数字符号，昆德拉还在他的艺术创作中插入了各种梦的符号。在昆德拉看来，梦不仅仅是个体的生理和心理活动，也是现实生活的延续和补充。由此可见，梦叙事是作者表达其哲学思想的完美媒介。此外，梦的象征也是昆德拉展示叙事技巧和呈现重要主题的重要媒介。在昆德拉的小说中，动物象征与情节相结合，揭示了相关人物的个人特征，同时也反映了他们的精神世界。此外，昆德拉还通过对动物死亡的叙述来表达他的生态伦理。综上所述，昆德拉小说中不同符号的隐喻意义在突出主题、揭示人物内心思想、展现人物个性、表达作者哲学思想等方面起到了积极的作用。这些符号帮助昆德拉打破了时间和空间的限制，成为他复调艺术的重要组成部分。此外，昆德拉还试图扩展这些符号原有的隐喻意义，创造出一些新的诗意意义。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Semiotica Multiple-

CiteScore

1.30

自引率

37.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Semiotica, the Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies, founded in 1969, appears in five volumes of four issues per year, in two languages (English and French), and occasionally in German. Semiotica features articles reporting results of research in all branches of semiotic studies, in-depth reviews of selected current literature in this field, and occasional guest editorials and reports. From time to time, Special Issues, devoted to topics of particular interest, are assembled by Guest Editors. The publishers of Semiotica offer an annual prize, the Mouton d"Or, to the author of the best article each year. The article is selected by an independent international jury.