Imaginary World, Real Human-beings: A Study on the Conceptual Metaphors in Terry Pratchett’s The Sea and Little Fishes

Abstract

In the fantastical “Discworld” created by Terry Pratchett, conceptual metaphors played a vital role on mirroring the human nature and it mainly includes three categories: structural metaphor, orientational metaphor and ontological metaphor. “The Sea and Little Fishes” have three primary characters: Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Letice.Through detailed analysis of the characters' actions, dialogues, and psychological activities, the essay reveals how Pratchett utilizes conceptual metaphors to map the complexities of human nature through this story in each category. Besides, by analyzing the source and target domains of the metaphors in the story, the essay demonstrates how Pratchett creates a rich and nuanced portrayal of human nature and highlights the significance of conceptual metaphor theory in understanding literary works. In summary, the essay demonstrates the power of conceptual metaphors in shaping our understanding of the world and human nature through analyzing the large quantity of conceptual metaphors in the short story and thus pointed out the final goal of the author to build this imaginary world was to uncover the complicated human nature of true human-beings