Cognitive Stylistic Study on Cummings’s Love Lyrics——Based on Figure-Ground Theory

摘要

The style of Cummings’ s poems is unique and special among the 20 th century poets. In this thesis, his love lyrics are analyzedfrom cognitive stylistics perspective and this analysis is based on the figure-ground theory. According to Talmy’s classification of lan-guage events, Cummings’ s love lyrics are divided into space events and time events. Then figure and ground in different poems are de-termined on the basis of features and principles of figure and ground in two kinds of events. The analysis makes it possible for readers tobuild an interest in Cummings’ s love lyrics and identify the hidden emotions and contents. What’s more, connotation as well as aesthet-ic values of poems can also be explored. Theory in the cognitive stylistics is applied to the appreciation of poems in this paper, whichmay help readers imagine the scene and better understand the connotation. This method provides a new perspective for poem study.Meanwhile, it offers a new pedagogical method in poem teaching in the future.