Brexit as an oven-ready pie?

A case study of Boris Johnson’s BREXIT IS A PIE multimodal metaphor

Abstract

This paper aims to study Boris Johnson’s conceptualisation of Brexit as an OVEN-READY PIE during the 2019 General Election campaign in the UK through the prism of cognitive linguistics. This election was marked by the omnipresence of digital and social media, which impacted the course of the campaign, but also diversified the modes of communication and interactions. In the light of the works on multimodal metaphor carried out by Forceville (2009), the different media through which this metaphorical conceptualisation of Brexit as a PIE was cued will be thoroughly analysed. The data includes a short video clip, an ad campaign, and the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. Additionally, some caricatures of this metaphor will also be looked at and compared to the original occurrence of the metaphor which appeared in Boris Johnson’s ad campaign. The objectives, functions, and the meaning conveyed by this metaphor will be brought to light. This paper will recount how the metaphor was extended and developed through different modes as the political campaign unfolded.