THE IMAGERY METAPHORS OF SPACE IN THE DUTCH WAR NON-FICTION WORKS

Abstract

The article explores the roles space metaphors play in the Dutch war non-fiction novels published during the period of 2010–2020. We hereby define metaphor as instrument the authors use to make up a personal view and to portray the events described, as well as to introduce and to define a war metaphor as well as to study the functions metaphors can have within a non-fiction texts. Another point of the article is a phenomenon of war metaphor seen as complex cognitive units which principal function is to underline the subjects related to the World War II. War metaphors are present in the texts explicitly (x is y) but also implicitly, as images. Among the principal war metaphors in the texts are ‘war is lack of freedom’, ‘war is a a disclosed space’, ‘war is an up-and-down movement’. These metaphors are nationally marked and are transparent for the Dutch as nation. As the notion of space is deeply rooted in the Dutch culture, we suggest that the war is also presented in the Dutch non-fiction as lack of space and distortion of common living space.