Allows you to create an unexpected and vivid effect in fiction or journalism. This refers to an oxymoron. Definition and examples of this interesting phenomenon, where and how it is used in different languages- you will learn all this further.
Definition
Oxymoron (another spelling "oxymoron") comes from the ancient Greek phrase, which can be translated into Russian as "witty stupidity." This name is already an oxymoron in itself. It can be assumed that it was precisely the example that gave the name to the entire phenomenon.
Probably, the first oxymorons were the result of inattention or poor knowledge of the language and, accordingly, were stylistic mistakes. But then this phenomenon was picked up by writers and quickly turned into an artistic device. Its essence is to combine together incongruous concepts, actions or signs. This is done in order to attract attention, emphasize certain qualities of the depicted, create the effect of surprise, etc. Often, in order to create a comic or satirical atmosphere, an oxymoron is used. Examples from fiction eloquently prove how great the expressive potential of this stylistic device.
Correct stress in a word
Before continuing to study this phenomenon, it is necessary to clarify important point... If you use this term in oral speech, then how do you put the stress in the word?
Unfortunately, most of our compatriots do not know this and therefore make a speech error. In the word "oxymoron" the stress falls on the second syllable, that is, on the letter "u". This is how it should be pronounced in Russian, regardless of the number and case.
It is noteworthy that in English and German the word oxymoron has a double stress. On the features of the use of oxymorons in the literature different nations it will be discussed later in the article.
Application as a means of expression
If you carefully read the various examples, the oxymoron appears as an expression of internal contradiction, which the author does not try to hide, but, on the contrary, emphasizes. For example, let's take the lines from the poem "Tsarskoye Selo Statue", written by A. Akhmatova:
Look, she has fun to be sad
So smartly naked.
Here you can see not even one, but two examples of the artistic technique we are considering: "to be sad with joy" and "smartly naked". The author's goal is to try to look into the depths of things and see them from an unfamiliar side.
This stylistic device can be seen in the work of a huge number of authors - both poets and prose writers. For this reason, it is impossible to single out literary genres or styles in which oxymoron is most often used.
Examples from fiction
Russian literature abounds in such word combinations. They look especially impressive in the titles of works, for example:
- Optimistic Tragedy (V. Vishnevsky);
- "Hot Snow" (Yu. Bondarev);
- "Running on the Waves" (A. Green);
- The Living Corpse (L. Tolstoy);
- Dead Souls (N. Gogol);
- “There was a war tomorrow” (B. Vasiliev);
- "The End of Eternity" (A. Azimov).
Oxymoron is no less popular in prose. As an illustration, let us quote from the famous novel by J. Orwell “1984”: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is power. " Here, each part of the slogan of a dystopian state is a combination of incongruous things, which allows the writer to reveal his idea in the most accurate and memorable way. Also, an example of such an artistic technique is the well-known Latin proverb: "If you want peace, prepare for war."
In all the above literary quotes, one can trace the similarities, namely the author's intention to combine opposing concepts. This is an oxymoron.
Examples in Russian
Usually we don't even think about when we hear or pronounce phrases ourselves, which are typical oxymorons. "Burning cold", "living dead", "honest thief", "silent scream", "ringing silence", "ordinary miracle", "clever stupidity", "speaking silence", "cold fire", " new tradition" - all this typical examples... Oxymoron can make you think, discover new facets of this or that phenomenon, make you laugh.
If you are writing text and want to use this stylistic technique in it, then be careful. There should not be too many oxymorons, otherwise they will lose their artistic value and will look like speech errors. When using incompatible concepts in oral speech, you should also not get carried away: make sure that the listeners correctly perceive your thought.
In foreign languages
Oxymoron is equally popular in English language... Examples of this phenomenon can be found in poetry and prose. The quote from J. Orwell, already cited in this article, is just a drop in the ocean. Other illustrations include the following:
It was an open secret. - "It was not a secret" (literally: "It was a known secret").
Lightless light - "dark light".
Good Bad Boys are good bad boys.
A young middle-aged woman.
Love-hate - "hateful love" b.
Bloody good - "damn good".
Peace force - "peaceful force".
Alone together - "alone together" (literally "alone together").
Only choice - "only choice".
As in Russian, oxymorons are widely used in English titles. Take a closer look, for example, at the well-known names of Hollywood films: Back to Future - "Back to the future", True Lies - "True lies" and the like.
Oxymoron can be found in German(angstgeruch - "the smell of fear", der fremde freund - "someone else's friend") and in many others. Such a vivid means of artistic expression is used in the speech of many peoples.
Oxymorons in everyday life
It's amazing how often we say phrases containing oxymorons without even knowing it. Here are some examples that hardly anyone notices are an oxymoron:
- "more than half";
- "terribly handsome";
- "drink to health";
- "a virtual reality";
- "afterlife", etc.
All these expressions have become so firmly in everyday use that we do not even think about how contradictory they are in their meaning. Studying oxymorons can lead to taking a different look at familiar words, expressions, and language in general.
Instead of an afterword
However, it is worth noting that not all combinations of words that are opposite in meaning can illustrate the phenomenon described in this article as examples. Oxymoron is primarily a deliberate combination of contradictory images. For this reason stable expressions("White crow", "bottomless barrel") and stylistic combinations ("sweet tears", "poisonous honey") researchers attribute to a phenomenon called catachrese, not an oxymoron. However, the similarity between the one and the other stylistic devices is quite strong.
In addition, many researchers compare an oxymoron with a paradox. Indeed, these phenomena have a lot in common.
Paradox, oxymoron, catachreza - these phenomena can be used as artistic devices and demonstrate new, unusual, original sides of our reality.
Oxymoron(ancient Greek οξύμωρον - acute stupidity) - stylistic figure or stylistic error- a combination of words with the opposite meaning, that is, a combination of incongruous. An oxymoron is characterized by the deliberate use of contradiction to create a stylistic effect. From a psychological point of view, an oxymoron is a way to resolve an unexplained situation.
Sometimes it is born spontaneously, and even takes root for a long time due to its brightness.
Examples of oxymorons:
add by minus
do good
intelligent bandit
honest swindler
merciful flayer
friends terrarium
flock of comrades
Uncertified securities
Endless dead end
Merry sadness
Hot Snow
Dialectics of tautology
Life-giving euthanasia
Living Dead
Gaping peaks
Courageous woman
People's oligarchy
Smart nudity
Unpaid salary
A pioneering tradition
An ordinary miracle
Urbanism of nomadic tribes
Oxymoron examples from literature
· Oxymoron is often used intitlesprosaic literary works ("Dead Souls", "The Unbearable Lightness of Being ", "Endless dead end», « End of Eternity"), Films (" An ordinary miracle», « With eyes wide shut», « True lie "," Dead Poets Society", "Back to the Future "),musical groups (Led Zeppelin - "lead airship", Blind Guardian - "blind guard", Orgy of the Righteous).
· Oxymorons are used to describe objects that combine the opposite qualities: "masculine woman", "feminine boy".
· In the novel "Foucault's Pendulum" the heroes of Umberto Ecofantasize about the "university of comparative unnecessary" with the department of oxymoristics. As the subjects of study of this department, the author cites "urbanism of nomadic tribes", "folk oligarchy", "innovative traditions", "dialectics of tautology", etc.
· In the name of the holiday« old New Year» .
It is necessary to distinguish between oxymorons and stylistic combinations of words that characterize different qualities: for example, the phrase “sweet bitterness” is an oxymoron, and “poisonous honey”, “found loss”, “sweet torment” are stylistic combinations.
Oxymoronas a stylistic device used by the classics of literature, use it and modern writers... Oxymoron Enhances Emotion artistic speech, to reveal the unity of opposites.
Often authors of literary works and films use an oxymoron in their titles: " Dead Souls"N.V. Gogol," Living Relics "by I.S. Turgenev," Living Corpse "by L.N. Tolstoy," Honest Thief "by F.M.Dostoevsky," Optimistic Tragedy "by V.V. "LN Martynov," Ferocious Paradise "by PG Antokolsky," Endless Dead End "by Dmitry Galkovsky," An Ordinary Miracle "by Eugene Schwartz," Eyes Wide Shut "by Arthur Schnitzler (a novel based on the famous film by Stanley Kubrick).
And Daria Dontsova has dozens of such names: "Checkered Zebra", "Quasimodo on Stiletto Heels", "Fig Leaf Haute Couture", "Cancan at Wake", "Invisible Man in Rhinestones", "Angel on a Broomstick", "Hot Love snowman "," Winter summer of spring "," This bitter sweet revenge "," Control kiss "," Beloved bastard "," Viper in syrup "," Hocus pocus from Vasilisa the Terrible "," Monsters from a good family "," Diamond troubled waters, Briton made in China"," Madame Pompadour's Torn Valenki "," Married Grandfather "," Egyptian Mummy's Lover ".
Form start
End of form
Oxymoron is often found in poetry.
And the day has come. Gets up from the bed
Mazepa, this frail sufferer,
This corpse alive , just yesterday
Moaning weakly over the grave.
A.S. Pushkin
I love the lush wilting of nature.
A.S. Pushkin
To denote the compatibility of incompatible concepts in the Russian language, a special term is used - "Oxymoron", Wikipedia characterizes it as a stylistic figure in which words that have the opposite meaning are used together. Usually, this technique helps to make an artistic text richer. Each word used in such constructions becomes more voluminous and easily ignites bold and unexpected images in the reader's imagination.
If we turn to the history of the origin of the term, then it is worth noting that this concept came to us from the ancient Greek language and is translated as "Acute stupidity"... The stress in the word oxymoron is placed on the second or on the last syllable. Also, in one of the variants of its writing, instead of the letter "u", there may be the letter "and". Therefore, then this word will be written and read as "oxymoron". In addition, in the oxymoron itself, the definition of the term presupposes a certain paradox inherent in its meaning to combine the incongruous.
Use of the term in various fields
Quite often, oxymorons are found in advertising., as they are quite an effective tool that can attract attention. Usually they work due to their brightness and surprise, so people become interested in knowing what kind of product they want to offer them under one or another original name or slogan. Also an important characteristic for the use of oxymorons in advertising is their memorability.
Besides, oxymorons are common in book titles... A good example is the same "Dead Souls" or, for example, "Honest Thief", "End of Eternity", "Optimistic Tragedy". In addition, this stylistic figure is found in the titles of films ("An Ordinary Miracle", "Tomorrow Was a War", "Back to the Future"), as well as in poems, where it is a vivid, expressive trope.
The area of their application can be the desire of the author of a literary work to make his creation more dramatic and tense. This is where the "deafening silence", "cruel kindness" and other similar phrases originate. If for the brightness of the image the creator needs to combine in one concept two qualities that are mutually exclusive, then during such combinations the following expressions are obtained: "feminine boy", "courageous woman", etc.
Examples of oxymorons in literary works
In Russian, authors usually purposefully use this trope., trying in a similar way to enhance the stylistic effect of speech. In this case, oxymorons often become bright, and most importantly, unbroken phrases that allow the text to “revive”, make it more emotional and interesting.
As illustrative examples the following can be cited:
- add by minus;
- friends' terrarium;
- fried ice cream;
- dry water.
Oxymorons in book titles
Often, writers use oxymorons in book titles to immediately grab the reader's attention, as well as arouse their interest and imagination. artistic word... It is likely that a well-chosen title will push a person to pick up a book and read it, for example:
- "Living Power" I. Turgenev;
- F. Dostoevsky's The Honest Thief;
- "Rich beggar" L. Martynov;
- "Optimistic Tragedy" V. Vishnevsky;
- "Endless dead end" D. Galkovsky.
Don't Miss: Interpretations of Literary Tricks such as Examples of Exaggeration.
The use of oxymorons in poetry
It is also worth noting that oxymorons are a fairly common trope among satirists, but, in addition, it is found in other genres of fiction. Often this stylistic figure can be seen in poems, for example:
Look, she has fun to be sad
Such smartly nude.
"Tsarskoye Selo statue"
That sad joy that I stayed alive?
S. Yesenin "Soviet Russia"
The use of oxymorons in prose
Oxymorons have been repeatedly used by writers in prose as well. Especially in this regard, it is worth noting science fiction authors who use a combination of incongruous in the construction of their alternative or utopian realities. Here, first of all, it is worth highlighting J. Orwell, who applied this technique to create slogans in, perhaps, his most famous work - 1984:
War - this is the world.
freedom - this is slavery.
Ignorance - force.
With just a few precise strokes, Orwell was able to show all the imperfections of the utopian world that he built in his work. Indeed, for readers, the concepts used in the last example are mutually exclusive.
Consequently, oxymorons can be found in almost any literary genre... They are applied perfectly in different areas from literature and cinema to advertising and media. But in all these cases, the text becomes brighter and more memorable. Actually, this is the essence of such a mysterious, mysterious word.
It is a kind of erroneous stylistic figure using words with polar opposite meanings.
And what else is an oxymoron
The combination of the incongruous in all the contradiction of meanings. But psychologically, an oxymoron helps to clarify the most confusing, inexplicable situations. The brightly colored one often takes root in speech so much that people stop flinching and wondering when they hear the oxymoron.
Examples - an oxymoron stuck
Very often and quite common characteristics sound: a manly woman, a womanly man, an honest con man(Mavrodi) , humane flayer(poisoned the dog in the park so the kids wouldn't be afraid) , intelligent banditry(policy of the United States), and as a phrase does not surprise anyone at all.
Classic oxymorons
Even more often they come up with oxymorons. After all, what is an oxymoron? This is, among other things, an indicator of the presence of the speaker or writer. Surely everyone will smile upon hearing or reading this: to harm and do good, merry commemoration - three button accordions broke. Therefore, not only the writing people try their best. Of course, there are great examples. An oxymoron from Gogol, from Dostoevsky, from Turgenev, from Tolstoy, from Bondarev, from Zinoviev. How can you forget " Dead Souls" or "Hot Snow", "Gaping heights" or " An ordinary miracle".
Modern oxymorons
However, many modern oxymorons are born with a pretense to survive: unpaid salary no longer surprises anyone. A elegant nudity not only amazes, but also delights with poetics. Life goes into endless dead end... Buy uncertified securities! Life-giving euthanasia Russian language. A pioneering tradition indestructible! " Optimistic tragedy"this is a guarantee and" WITH eyes wide shut". Especially creative in this regard, Daria Dontsova. Almost every title of her books is an oxymoron. This is quite common in modern literature when the contradiction of meanings helps to quickly grasp the meaning of the described phenomenon and remember it more firmly. And the stylistic effect is obvious: the oxymoron is even used in trainings for the emancipation of "childishness" inside an adult. Remember Chukovsky: a terrible giant - who is this? A cockroach, just.
Neologisms
The main condition for the creation of an oxymoron is the deliberate nature of the internal contradiction in the phrase. A virtual reality - one of the most successful oxymorons of our time. Honest thief- also can already relate not only to Detochkin, but also to Navalny. And already fair trial! Old news- excellent definition of information in the age high tech... Oxymoron as such is not even quite a definition, it is very close to action. Therefore, especially gifted writers came up with a neologism: oxymoron, for example. Sounds great: reforms oxymorize... The main thing is that everyone understands everything, which means that the definition is to the point. So we figured out what an oxymoron is.
Oxymoron(ancient Greek οξύμωρον - acute stupidity) - a stylistic figure or stylistic mistake - a combination of words with the opposite meaning, that is, a combination of incongruous. An oxymoron is characterized by the deliberate use of contradiction to create a stylistic effect. From a psychological point of view, an oxymoron is a way to resolve an unexplained situation.
Sometimes it is born spontaneously, and even takes root for a long time due to its brightness.
Examples of oxymorons:
add by minus
do good
intelligent bandit
honest swindler
merciful flayer
friends terrarium
flock of comrades
Uncertified securities
Endless dead end
Merry sadness
Hot Snow
Dialectics of tautology
Life-giving euthanasia
Living Dead
Gaping peaks
Courageous woman
People's oligarchy
Smart nudity
Unpaid salary
A pioneering tradition
An ordinary miracle
Urbanism of nomadic tribes
Oxymoron examples from literature
· Oxymorons are used to describe objects that combine the opposite qualities: "masculine woman", "feminine boy".
· In the novel "Foucault's Pendulum," the heroes of Umberto Eco fantasize about the "university of comparative unnecessary things" with the department of oxymoristics. As the subjects of study of this department, the author cites "urbanism of nomadic tribes", "folk oligarchy", "innovative traditions", "dialectics of tautology", etc.
It is necessary to distinguish between oxymorons and stylistic combinations of words that characterize different qualities: for example, the phrase “sweet bitterness” is an oxymoron, and “poisonous honey”, “found loss”, “sweet torment” are stylistic combinations.
Oxymoronthe classics of literature also used it as a stylistic device, and modern writers also use it. Oxymoron allows you to enhance the emotionality of artistic speech, to reveal the unity of opposites.
Often, authors of literary works and films use an oxymoron in their titles: "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol, "Living relics" by I.S. Turgenev, "The Living Corpse" by L.N. Tolstoy, "An Honest Thief" by F.M. Dostoevsky, "Optimistic Tragedy" by V.V. Vishnevsky, "The Rich Beggar" by L.N. Martynov, "Ferocious Paradise" by P.G. Antokolsky, "Endless Dead End" by Dmitry Galkovsky, "An Ordinary Miracle" by Eugene Schwartz, "Eyes Wide Shut" by Arthur Schnitzler (a novel based on the famous film by Stanley Kubrick).
And Daria Dontsova has dozens of such names: "Checkered Zebra", "Quasimodo on Stiletto Heels", "Fig Leaf Haute Couture", "Cancan at Wake", "Invisible Man in Rhinestones", "Angel on a Broomstick", "Hot Love snowman "," Winter summer of spring "," This bitter sweet revenge "," Control kiss "," Beloved bastard "," Viper in syrup "," Hocus pocus from Vasilisa the Terrible "," Monsters from a good family "," Diamond muddy water "," British of Chinese production "," Torn felt boots by Madame Pompadour "," Married grandfather "," The mistress of the Egyptian mummy. "
Oxymoron is often found in poetry.
And the day has come. Gets up from the bed
Mazepa, this frail sufferer,
This corpse alive , just yesterday
Moaning weakly over the grave.
A.S. Pushkin
I love the lush wilting of nature.
A.S. Pushkin
But their ugly beauty
I soon grasped the mystery.
M.Yu. Lermontov
And squalid luxury outfit -
Everything does not speak in favor of her.
ON. Nekrasov
Thatsad joythat I stayed alive.
S.A. Yesenin Turns white in black lilac yolk,
Green blue blush blushes,
East West, East West ,
Cosmic involvement brings people together!
Alexander Ivanov