Lucretius and Epicurus on Metaphor

This chapter outlines what can be known of Epicurean and Lucretian attitudes to metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche. After a discussion of ancient testimonia to Epicurus’ own style and stylistic preferences, it draws a distinction between two types of metaphor—necessary and unnecessary. Drawing on the fragments of Book 28 of Epicurus’ On Nature, it argues that these types of metaphor played different roles in Epicurean linguistic theory and practice. After seeking to identify Epicurean criteria for naming unseen entities, the chapter goes on to discuss several passages in DRN where Lucretius discusses figurative uses of language, both necessary and unnecessary. These include the discussion of harmonia in Book 3, and of the world as both ‘Mother’ and ‘Mother of the gods’ in Book 2.