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Some days ago, I made a comment on the title of the English edition of Paul Ricoeur's La Métaphore Vive. Well, for those interested  here is the answer of Robert Czerny, the translator; a very nice and welcomed answer. I copy here our respective emails:Dear Robert,I wish to make a comment on your title translation (The Rule of Metaphor).I think La Métaphore Vive is a fantastic theory of hermeneutics at the opposite side of the question of "rule". If there is something far away from the meaning of "rule", or "norm", that is the theory of Paul Ricoeur concerning linguistics. Even a first sight to the words "rule" and "living" shows something wrong with these two words, something unlikely. Indeed Ricoeur is concerned with the most intuitive sense of meaning; the one  blooming at its very perception, which is alive. There is no sense of rule in Ricoeur's theory of metaphor but sense of endlessly becoming; newness; creation; life. Until some point, rule is death, or at least there is a very first intuition to join rule with lack of creativity, that is, with compliance, uniformity, conservatism, death.What do you think of that? Why not just a translator like The Living Metaphor?Best wishes,Aina MartiDear Aina, you are absolutely right about the title.In fact, I explain the curious title in the third paragraph of the translator’s foreword (I assume it is still there, but perhaps some publishers have removed it – it was in the first edition). The explicit reference to Aristotle is the main clue. I could have added that “Therefore the ‘rule’ is that there is no rule!” but that would be like explaining a joke, and explained jokes are painful.This humorous, almost oxymoronic title had Paul Ricoeur’s approval. I had the privilege of getting to know him (and his wife) personally in the Fall of 1972 and Fall 1973. He asked me to do the translation in late Fall 1973. He had a good sense of humour, and he liked the irony of the title. (One might also say, the error of the title, if one takes it literally.) Charles Reagan, who has written on Ricoeur, also questioned the title along the same lines as yourself. These are the only two objections I have heard.Needless to say, I agree with all you say about metaphor according to Ricoeur: blooming, newness, creativity... That is why I added the subtitle (also with his approval – it does not exist in the French) that mentions “creation of meaning in language”.How did you get to know this book? How does it fit into your interests, studies or work?With best wishes, Robert