A Perspective on Literary Metaphor in the Context of Generative AI

Abstract: At the intersection of creative text generation and literary theory, this study explores the role of literary metaphor and its capacity to generate a range of meanings. In this regard, literary metaphor is vital to the development of any particular language. To investigate whether the inclusion of original figurative language improves textual quality, we trained an LSTM-based LLM in Afrikaans. The network produces phrases containing compellingly novel figures of speech. Specifically, the emphasis falls on how AI might be utilised as a defamiliarisation technique, which disrupts expected uses of language to augment poetic expression. Providing a literary perspective on text generation, the paper raises thought-provoking questions on aesthetic value, interpretation and evaluation.