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"This essay attempts to approach the ontological implications of the metaphor/metonymy opposition. A first part starts with a discussion of Gerard Genette's study of the role of metonymy and metaphor in the structuration of a Proust novel and explores the relations of mutual implications between both tropological movements. A second part tries to show how this distinction is anchored in the very structure of signification, and-given the constitutive link between signification and objectivity-its primary ontological relevance. A first part studies the importance of the distinction in the emergence and constitution of political spaces. Two examples are discussed: the unilateralization of metaphorical reaggregations in the logic of Sorel's ""general strike"", and the role of ""frozen"" metonymies in the design of Leninist strategies."