‘Un-Walling’ the Wall: Embodiment and Viewpoint

Abstract

The emergence of viewpoint in discourse is a phenomenon that has received much attention, especially in discussions of narrative discourse, journalistic prose, film or art. In this chapter, I look at viewpoint from a conceptual perspective, across a range of artefacts. I focus on the concept of a ‘wall’, to show how simple image-schematic structures (e.g., boundary, containment) can co-occur with complex construals of viewpoint and trigger rich embodied responses. In most cases, the ‘wall’ concept prompts a reaction wherein the viewer’s vision and freedom of motion are restricted by the barrier, leading to evocation of more complex frames. I start with language use and visual artefacts (e.g., Banksy’s graffiti art), to then consider drama (e.g., the Wall character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream). Through the discussion of these artefacts, I show how emotional, social and political construals of viewpoint rely initially on the simple image schema of a boundary. Such conceptually basic schemas are thus shown to achieve full creative potential on the basis of their viewpoint and embodiment potential.