The Relationship between Literary Prose and Cognitive Linguistics

Abstract

In light of contemporary literary theories, literary prose has acquired numerous new aesthetic dimensions. One of these is the cognitive aspect of conceptualizing, renewing, enriching, and beautifying prose sentences, in which the reader’s cognition plays a central role. This study examines the role of cognition and mental processing in shaping the aesthetic appeal and impact of prose. It also explores how readers, through their cognitive abilities, contribute to the conceptualization and aesthetic appreciation of meaning. The intrinsic beauty of literary prose lies in the perceptions, interactions, and interpretations of both the writer and the reader. Various concepts in cognitive linguistics, such as conceptual metaphors, speech acts, Gestalt principles, and mental frameworks (schemas), facilitate the conceptualization and enhancement of meaning. Cognitive linguistics emerged as an interdisciplinary approach during the 1970s through the theoretical contributions of scholars such as Ronald Langacker and George Lakoff and subsequently extended its influence into many other fields of study. From this perspective, this article investigates the relationship between cognitive linguistics and literary prose. Scholars such as Langacker, Lakoff, and Ford have extensively discussed cognitive linguistics, while in Pashto, Ustad Khkulay has thoroughly explained the theory in his work Theories of Linguistics. However, the present study offers a different perspective by demonstrating that cognitive linguistics plays a significant role in both the conceptualization and aesthetic enhancement of literary prose.