Stylistic and Cognitive Analysis of Ben’s Mind Style in Doris Lessing’s Ben, in the World (2000)

Articles in Press

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
Z. Rahimnouri 1
R. Askarzadeh Torghabeh 2
M. Ghorban Sabbagh 2
1 MA Graduate of English Language and Literature, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Associate professor of English Language and Literature, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
This study sheds light on Ben Lovatt's idiosyncratic characterization, cognitive impairment, and peculiar perception of the world through the lens of cognitive and stylistic features such as schema and cognitive theories. It explores Ben's inability to make meaningful sense of the outside world, his failure to activate adequate schemata when necessary, and his foregrounded conceptual metaphor. Exploring Ben's foregrounded linguistic and cognitive patterns reveal that Ben, in many aspects, proves the particular belief in the story that he seems to be on the threshold between humanity and animality or a throwback who belongs to centuries ago. However, despite Ben's human-animal hybridity, the most striking point about the analysis of Ben's mind style is that Ben seems to be beyond the descriptions of other characters and has a particular way of seeing the world, which makes him seem different from others. This difference, eventually, causes his exclusion from the world and his suicide.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 July 2025