A SOCIO-COGNITIVE ANALYSIS OF BACON’S ‘OF MARRIAGE AND SINGLE LIFE

Abstract

This study applies Teun A. van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to Francis Bacon’s essay Of Marriage and Single Life, revealing the ideological underpinnings of Renaissance views on individualism, gender roles, and societal norms. Analyzing the text at the micro, meso, and macro levels, the research uncovers how Bacon’s language choices and rhetorical strategies reflect and reinforce patriarchal ideologies. At the micro level, lexical patterns and pragmatics shape readers’ mental models; the meso level highlights how discourse structure supports Bacon’s arguments; and the macro level connects the essay to broader cultural ideals of marriage and success. Drawing links to modern gender studies, this paper emphasizes the enduring impact of historical discourse on contemporary understandings of gender and individual identity, offering deeper insight into the interplay between language, cognition, and society.