COGNITIVE MECHANISMS OF THE RECEPTION OF UNNATURAL NARRATIVE IN METAMODERN LITERARY DISCOURSE (BASED ON THE WORKS OF KAZUO ISHIGURO)

Abstract

The article is aimed at revealing and explaining the cognitive mechanisms involved in the interpretation of unnatural narrative elements in contemporary metamodern literary discourse. The focus is placed on the limitations of traditional cognitive models, particularly conceptual metaphor theory and conceptual integration (blending), in explaining the interpretation of complex literary images characterized by multidimensionality, contradiction, and internal tension. An alternative approach is proposed, substantiating the necessity of employing the mechanism of conceptual amalgamation at the initial stage of the reader’s reception of metamodern literary texts through the concept of oscillation. Oscillation is understood as a dynamic movement between different interpretative perspectives, while amalgamation is viewed as cognitive mechanism that ensures the simultaneous coexistence of conflicting meanings within a single cognitive structure. Conceptual oxymoron is seen as a model that captures the tension between incompatible cognitive frames and facilitates the emergence of new meanings. The article develops a multi-level model of reception that includes an initial automatic unconscious stage followed by a stage of conscious interpretation. Particular attention is paid to the interpretative strategies as mechanisms for the naturalization of unnatural reader experience. Based on previous research and the author’s analysis, the following strategies are identified: metaphorical reading, intertextual operations, immersive logic of the fictional world, thematic and archetypal interpretation, frame elaboration, interpretation through narrator’s cognitive bias, phenomenological reading, and anti-naturalization. It is proved that these strategies are not mutually exclusive but may operate simultaneously, forming a complex model for interpreting unnatural elements in literary texts. Unnatural narrative elements are shown to function as cognitive stimuli that activate reader’s interpretative processes and contribute to his/her moral and emotional reflection. Emergent meaning is construed as the result of interaction between the text and the reader within an integrated cognitive system.