metametaphor

Metametaphor is a figure of speech in which the subject is described through metaphor, or where the operation of metaphor itself is discussed within a metaphor. It is a self-referential use of figurative language that treats metaphor as an object of analysis rather than a simple vehicle for meaning. In practice, metametaphor foregrounds the process of metaphor-making as a topic of inquiry.

In literary criticism and theory, metametaphors are used to examine how metaphors structure thought, convey ideology, or reveal the limits of figurative language. They can function as commentary on metaphor's power or as a way to critique a dominant metaphor by turning it back on itself. By doing so, they invite readers to interrogate how language shapes perception.

An example is a line such as "Metaphor is a lens, and this lens is flawed by its own optics," which uses a metaphor about metaphor to reflect on metaphor's distortions. Another example is a poem that analyzes how a single metaphor for life as a journey can itself become a map that guides interpretation. Such statements function as metametaphors because they discuss metaphor from within metaphor.

Metametaphor is related to meta-language and self-reference but is distinct from ordinary metaphor in that it explicitly treats metaphor as the object of discussion. It is commonly encountered in critical essays, poetic experimentation, and discussions of cognitive linguistics that probe how figurative language shapes experience.

See also: metaphor, metaphor theory, meta-language, self-reference.