Oxymoron examples from literature. Oxymoron, examples from fiction
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 a "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 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 "," Briton 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
Language fiction and journalism, even a person who is far from literature can easily be distinguished from technical or scientific texts. The secret of wealth literary language- in the use of tropes, metaphors, hyperbole and so on.
One of the methods often used by writers is the oxymoron (or otherwise oxymoron). Let's try to figure out what an oxymoron is in fictional speech, how it helps authors create vivid, memorable phrases.
As Wikipedia reports, an oxymoron is a combination of opposing concepts.
It is deliberately used to give the text a special stylistic coloring and to clarify an unusual complex situation.
In psychology for an explanation specific situation the following examples of using these stylistic phrases can be used:
- quiet cry;
- stupid scientist;
- false truth;
- an ordinary miracle;
- honest lie;
- cleverly stupid.
Oxymoron is of great importance in the literature. The fact is that it enhances the perception of the text, which means it arouses interest in reading.
Examples include the following sentences:
- The cold sun will never be the same again.
- The big baby got out of bed.
- This dry liquid tears the throat terribly.
- Hot ice touched my body.
- This terrible beauty put everyone in a slight numbness.
- There was a dark opening in the room.
- And as if cold Fire, she hurt my loving heart.
- I learned a lot more from a silent interlocutor than from a speaker!
- This is the most honest liar I've ever seen!
What is an oxymoron for?
Based on these statements, it is safe to say what oxymoron is in the literature - this is a special method of sharing words with opposite meanings. This means that what is combined is that cannot be logically combined.
Despite this definition, the oxymoron allows you to achieve an unusual and therefore memorable effect.
Oxymoron examples
In poetry, an oxymoron is a spontaneously born figure of speech that combines two or more opposite words. This allows the authors to create the most dramatic setting for the described picture and vividly express the perfection of the heated atmosphere of the text.
Examples of sentences using oxymoron:
- Prisoners of freedom.
- Snow is like melting sugar.
- Forward to the past.
- After all, this is just a feminine man.
Oxymorons help to "revive" the plot of the text, fill it with deep feelings, emotions and vivid epic moments.
This stylistic writing helps the author to attract the attention of readers, as well as to make his work more visible and popular.
Often an oxymoron appears in the titles of works: "Back to the Future", " The stingy knight" etc.
Oxymoron - what does it mean? This stylistic phenomenon has no boundaries and has a perfect, independent meaning.
Sometimes it is called an unfair unification of opposing ideas, because it presents the right to existence to something that never existed - it creates a perfect paradox.
Important! The stress in the word oxymoron, according to the Dictionary of Russian Word Stress, falls on the second syllable: oxymoron.
In his research, Halperin states that this stylistic device is never reproduced exactly in everyday speech, but is always created anew. This is due to the high originality of oxymorons and their uniqueness.
L. Vvedenskaya at the same time notes that this literary stylistic device originates from antonyms, while the nature of the interaction of the components of oxymorons is undoubtedly generalized.
N. Pavlovich clarifies that not all oxymorons have a bright linguistic character. Some of them become oxymorons exclusively in certain contexts. He clearly highlights the fact that often the combination of oxymorone is produced with real absurdity.
This is the most recent look at such an attractive method of speech diversity. It is justified by the fact that the speaker himself covers with absurdity the situation in which he is or which he is observing from the side.
Significance of the oxymoron function in the literature
The following structure of thinking is distinguished when creating oxymorones. The following phenomena are combined:
- Negative (death) - a state of gloom, wretchedness and gloom.
- Positive (beauty) is a phenomenon that determines joy, tenderness, pleasure, bliss and beauty.
These series of combined qualities take into account a variety of traditions of understanding phenomena.
After the meaning of the concept of oxymoron and approximate ways of sharing opposite words have been clarified, it has come the right time in order to consider striking examples from the works of famous writers:
- "Look, she has fun to be sad" ().
- "That you have become friends with bad glory" (Yesenin).
- "Intoxication is the poison of a poison" (Yesenin).
- "And the wretched luxury of the outfit" (Nekrasov).
- "The Good Bad Boys" (J. Orwell).
- "Greedy sadness" (Voloshin).
- "Living Death" (Muravyov).
- "I am pure in heart, but I will slaughter someone" (Yesenin).
- “We wanted stinging torment” (Akhmatova).
- “Death is a great celebration” (Akhmatova).
The role of oxymoron in advertising
Thanks to oxymorons, customers have an increased desire to buy this or that product, as well as to use a wide variety of services.
Oxymoron: interpretation, role in language
- This watch is perfect for independent and courageous women.
- At our rate, a real sensation - a flying drop in prices!
- Taxi "Fast Turtle" will instantly take you to your destination. Faster with us!
- Bank for adult children and their parents.
- Buy balloons and celebrate your old age to the fullest!
- The pet shop "Barking Cat" offers to make profitable purchases: all products have a 30% discount!
- Tired of loud silence? Buy wireless music speakers!
Useful video
Let's summarize
So, the joint use of words opposite in meaning (oxymorons) is a kind of road leading to a radical change in the personal meaning of a word or phrase, as a result of which the broadest meaning is created. This poetic phenomenon is widespread in both ancient and modern cultures.
Do you know what an oxymoron is? Remember the sensational advertising clip "Philologist" from Megafon, in which a small and very smart girl (at the very end) gives out incomprehensible word, from which her dad (E. Stychkin) literally changes in the face:
So - this is the very word - "oxymoron"... And the phrase “cool fall” is a typical example of its use, or, so to speak, “use” of it in the Russian language.
I can imagine how risky it was to launch this video, because half of the country, firstly, did not hear what the smart girl said, and secondly, if they did, the reaction was approximately the following: “Who, who? Oxymoron? - I hear it for the first time!" It is gratifying that the video demonstrated not only the desire of the authors to draw attention to the brand, but also a useful component. Philological.
And who would have thought that the real battle between the Russian mobile operators... And if Megafon had a ready-made trick - Oxymoron + media persona in the person of Stychkin, then MTS had banal "dance lessons" sponsored by them. Having woken up from a hard knockdown, the PR department of MTS went all-in, inviting heavy artillery in the person of Dmitry Nagiyev. This is how several solid promo videos were born: “Nagiyev was tired of dancing”, “Guess which track Nagiyev is dancing to”, “Masha, it doesn't count!”, But all this was no good - the trick was never born.
Then, obviously, the creatives of MTS guessed what was actually the matter. It turned out that it was just necessary to combine the two most important components of success: the lump of Nagiyev with the great and mighty Russian language. So, the tip of the iceberg of all torments was born - "UNLIMITED", and with it - a trick!
This is what the edifying lesson of the "philologist" and "oxymoron" has led to. I can imagine how many zeros left the MTS budget in search of a truly Russian video ...
So that the reader does not think that the magazine "sympathizes" exclusively with Megafon:
So an oxymoron. What does it mean and what examples can be found in Russian.
For more precise definition, turn to Wikipedia:
Oxymoron, oxymoron, as well as oxymoron, oxymoron (German Ohumoron< др.-греч. οξύμωρον, букв. - остроумно-глупое) - stylistic figure or a 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.
Classic examples oxymoron actually a lot. But the most interesting example paradoxically connects several great singers of the Russian word at once: Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy.
Did Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol think about deliberately creating a stylistic effect, calling his novel with two incongruous words: "Dead Souls"? Of course I did! And, perhaps, the cunning Gogol stole his name from the same Pushkin, according to whose idea and advice, in fact, it turned out famous work... The fact is that in 1828 Alexander Sergeevich wrote the famous poem "Poltava", in which he used oxymoron :
And the day has come. Gets up from the bed
Mazepa, this frail sufferer,
This corpse alive, just yesterday
Moaning weakly over the grave.
Later, in 1842, the first volume of Dead Souls was published. Pushkin's "living corpse" and Gogol's " dead Souls"- a paradoxical coincidence.
Oxymoron - Leo Tolstoy - “Living Corpse”, Photo: books-audio.in
But we must pay tribute to the mystical Gogol, he somehow, but tried to hide his "little hooliganism." The same cannot be said about Count Tolstoy. Lev Nikolayevich really did original by writing the play "Living Corpse" in 1900. The work was published posthumously. Count Tolstoy's play was very successful. In 1911 she was staged at the Moscow Art Theater. The main directors were Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Konstantin Stanislavsky.
Soon the production took place in St. Petersburg. Since the text has been translated into many languages, performances have also taken place in Berlin, Vienna, Paris and London. By the way, the pedantic Englishmen abandoned the usual name and translated the play as: "The Man Who Was Dead" The play took place in London at the end of 1912. Apparently, it is difficult for them to understand the stylistic effect. oxymoron.
Throughout her life, the play was filmed 9 times! In 1918, the film adaptation of The Living Corpse in the form of a silent movie took place. The main female role was played by the "queen of the screen" of Russian cinematography at the beginning of the 20th century - the silent film actress Vera Kholodnaya. This was one of the last roles of the actress. In February 1919, the actress caught a cold and fell ill with a severe form of flu with pulmonary complications, better known as "Spanish flu". Terrible disease it took only a few days to kill the greatest star of Soviet cinema ...
By the way, in this classic combination: Pushkin-Gogol-Tolstoy, you can safely squeeze another lover beautiful effects- I.S. Turgenev and his story "Living relics", 1874. As an epigraph to his "living relics" Turgenev took the words of the Russian poet F. I. Tyutchev - "The land of native patience - the Land of the Russian people!"
The Russian land, according to the writer, is a special land, and it is inhabited by special people endowed with unprecedented spiritual strength ...
The work is very autobiographical. I like Turgenev. His author's vision is captivating. And "Living Power" was read with interest ...
More examples of oxymoron
Surprisingly, the very word "oxymoron" (lit. "witty-stupid") is an oxymoron. But in relation to the Russian classics, it is appropriate to consider not their use of "witty-stupid" ligaments, but nevertheless - the creation of beautiful stylistic effects, combinations of two opposite words. Let's look at Russian poetry for examples.
I love the lush wilting of nature. (A.S. Pushkin)
But their ugly beauty
I soon grasped the mystery. (M.Yu. Lermontov)
And the wretched luxury of an outfit -
Everything does not speak in favor of her. (N.A. Nekrasov)
Look, she has fun to be sad
So smartly naked. (A.A. Akhmatova)
Oxymoron - "An Ordinary Miracle", Photo: kinopoisk.ru Oxymoron is very common in cinema. This technique is actively and deliberately used as a way to attract attention, interest, make the viewer wonder, think ... We remember: "true lie", "ordinary miracle", "old New Year"," Back to the future "," there was a war tomorrow "...
Oxymoron is a lot in ordinary life... For example, when describing the qualities of people: "courageous woman", "feminine boy". Phrases that evoke unexpected associations, discouraging as well as extraordinary personalities, arouse particular interest and attract attention.
More phrases from everyday life "long moment" or "complex simplicity" ...
Oxymorons, as we have already found out, are very often and deliberately used in advertising, but not always in good faith. For example, the expression “investing in the forex market” is an example of a professional oxymoron, but also an example of classical speculation with this beautiful term. In fact, the forex market itself is distinguished by speculative actions, since the private foreign exchange market by its nature cannot be an object of investment, only speculation. However, today it is very fashionable to use the bundle - "investments in the stock market" ...
You should also distinguish between oxymoron and stylistic word combinations. For example, the phrase “sweet bitterness” is an oxymoron, and “poisonous honey”, “found loss”, “sweet torment” are stylistic combinations.
And many, many more interesting examples oxymoron from everyday life:
Bigger half
- scary handsome
-sad joy
- eloquent silence
-liquid Nails
-dry water
-Old New Year
-a sad laugh
-sweet bitterness
- heat of cold
-sweet tears
-afterlife
-a virtual reality
deafening silence
- ringing silence
-powerful impotence
-dull shine
-long moment
-original copies
- wide closed eyes
- loud silence
-year-old fur coat
-furious angel
-sincere liar
- overwhelming modesty
-voluntary violence
- drink to health
- unanimous disagreements
-a benevolent enemy
-infinite limit
-educated boor
-small giant
- the dexterous muddler
- married bachelor
-flame ice
-silent scream
-fall up
- fun to be sad
- icy ardor
-screaming silence
-long moment
-complicated simplicity
- sworn friend
-wavy smooth surface
-a clumsy grace
-powerful impotence
-public secret
- affectionate git
- obstinate consent
-happy pessimist
-soft hardness
-amorphic activist
- vague clarity
- bitter happiness
-unbearable charm
- irrepressible quiet
-low skyscraper
-Swiss refugee
-Frank policy
- honest politician
This is how it is - the great and mighty Russian language!
* Examples of oxymoron taken from the site: ktonanovenkogo.ru
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If you are interested, what is an oxymoron then this article is for you. often sound very beautiful. The term under consideration, most likely, belongs to just such a category. Let's take a look at its etymology.
Oxymoron or oxymoron comes from the ancient Greek οξύμωρον, which literally means "witty-stupid."
In principle, it is already clear from the definition itself that this is some kind of contradiction. After all, if this or that word is witty, then it cannot be stupid at the same time.
However, this is the essence of oxymoron.
By the way, the stress in the word has two valid options, on the second and on the last syllable: Oxymoron and Oxymoron. Moreover, it is quite allowed to pronounce and write this term through the letter "and": oxymoron.
For clarity, we will give such examples.
Examples of oxymoron
- Bigger half (if it is half, then it can no longer be more or less)
- Living Dead
- Dry water
- old New Year
- Deafening silence
- Original copies
- True lie
- Impudent modesty
- Well-bred boor
- Dexterous muddler
- Silent scream
- Sworn friend
- Public secret
- Honest politician (subtle irony)
- Swiss refugee (and this is already quite for a witty person)
In short, you already understood that an oxymoron consists, as a rule, of two words that contradict each other.
It is important to note here that it is precisely such paradoxical expressions and phrases that attract the attention of our brain. This business is successfully used by talented advertisers and marketers.
Surely you know very popular films, the titles of which are purely oxymorons. For example: "An ordinary miracle", "True lie", "Back to the future", "Married bachelor", etc.
Oxymorons in book titles
There are also many works in the literature that have the names of oxymorons:
- "Living Dead"
- "Living Power"
- "Honest Thief"
- "Dead Souls"
- V. Vishnevsky "Optimistic tragedy"
- "An ordinary miracle"
- D. Galkovsky "Endless dead end"
- L. Martynov "Rich beggar"
- L. Gurchenko "My adult childhood"
Once you have mastered the meaning of the word "oxymoron", you can successfully use this concept when communicating with people. After all, this figure of speech stylistically decorates the conversation, giving to the speaking person the effect of a talented storyteller.
Oxymoron in literature
Note that poets often use oxymorons to embellish the sublime flight of a poem with casual contradiction. Here are some literary examples.
, "Poltava":
And the day has come. Gets up from the bed
Mazepa, this frail sufferer,
This corpse is alive, yesterday
Moaning weakly over the grave.
, "Soviet Russia":
, "Tsarskoye Selo statue":
Look, she has fun to be sad
Such smartly nude.
, "Poor and smart":
Restless tenderness of a look,
And the fake paint sticks
And the wretched luxury of an outfit -
Everything does not speak in favor of her.
, "From Karamzina's Album":
But their ugly beauty
I soon grasped the mystery
And I got bored of them incoherent
And a deafening tongue.
Well, now you not only know what an oxymoron is, but also met the most outstanding examples from world literature.
For dessert, we suggest looking at a magnificent, delicate and exquisite oxymoron in the form of a picture:
To secure this buzzword in your vocabulary, use it a couple of times at home.
How to do it?
Well, for example, your mom or wife will cook you food. After tasting the food, say gently: "Terribly delicious!"
If there is no reaction, then try calmly but solidly to ask the question: "Well, how do you like my oxymoron?"
Believe me, admiration for your mind will not keep you waiting!
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Oxymoron
Oxymoron
OXYUMORON (Greek - "acute stupidity") is a term of ancient style, denoting a deliberate combination of contradictory concepts. Example: “Look, she’s having fun to be sad / So smartly naked” (Akhmatova). A special case of O. is formed by the figure contradictio in adjecto, - the combination of a noun with an adjective contrasting in meaning: "poor luxury" (Nekrasov).
The figure of O. is characterized by the emphasized inconsistency of the meanings merged into one: this O. differs both from catachreza (see), where there is no opposition of the combined contradictory words, and from the antithesis (see), where there is no merger of opposed concepts.
The possibility of realizing the figure of O. and its stylistic significance are based on the traditional character of the language, on his inherent ability to “designate only the general”. The fusion of contrasting meanings is therefore perceived as revealing the contradiction between the name of the object and its essence, between the traditional assessment of the object and its true significance, as revealing the contradictions present in the phenomenon, as conveying the dynamics of thinking and being. Therefore, some researchers (eg R. Meyer), not without reason, point to O.'s closeness to a paradox (see).
The presence of O. as a stylistic figure in itself, of course, does not characterize either the style or the creative method of the writer. True, attempts have been made to see the abundance of O. as a typical feature of the romantic and rhetorical styles - styles of eras of particular aggravation of social contradictions (R. Meyer). But these attempts can hardly be considered conclusive. Determination of the significance of O. for any stylistic whole is possible, of course, only by analyzing its content, its direction; only then are significant differences revealed between even verbally close O. - like the aforementioned O. Nekrasova ("poor luxury") and Akhmatova ("smartly nude"). Stylistics.
Literary encyclopedia. - In 11 volumes; Moscow: Publishing House of the Communist Academy, Soviet Encyclopedia, Fiction. Edited by V.M. Fritsche, A.V. Lunacharsky. 1929-1939 .
Oxymoron
Oxymoron (Greek ox? Mo-ron - witty-stupid), a stylistic device consisting in the selection of a phrase, the direct meanings of the words of which are logically opposed, but at the same time one of the words is metaphor and its indirect meaning does not contradict the meaning of another word.
See her fun to be sad,
Such smartly nude.
(A. A. Akhmatova, "Tsarskoye Selo Statue")
Here epithets"Cheerfully" and "smartly" are used in a metaphorical sense.
Oxymoron, not only in literature, but also in everyday speech, is perceived as an exquisite figurative means and therefore is often used by authors in the titles of works ("The Living Corpse" by L.N. Tolstoy, "Hot Snow" by Yu. V. Bondareva).
Literature and language. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M .: Rosman. Edited by prof. A.P. Gorkina 2006 .
Synonyms:
See what "Oxymoron" is in other dictionaries:
oxymoron- (wrong oxymoron and oxymoron) ... Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian
- [gr. oxymoron letters. witty stupid] filol. a figure of speech, consisting in the combination of two antonymic concepts, two words that contradict each other in meaning (for example, "old boy", "white crow", "eloquent silence"). Wed KATAHREZA. ... ... Dictionary foreign words Russian language
See Oxymoron ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Noun., Number of synonyms: 3 play on words (6) oxymoron (7) humor (32) ASIS synonym dictionary ... Synonym dictionary
Oxymoron, oxymoron (ancient Greek οξύμωρον "clever stupidity") stylistic figure or stylistic mistake a combination of words with the opposite meaning (that is, a combination of incongruous). An oxymoron is characterized by intentional ... ... Wikipedia
oxymoron- I. OXIMORONE, OXYMORON a, m. Oxymorone m. gr. oxymoron is witty stupid. A stylistic turn, which combines semantically contrasting words that create an unexpected semantic unity, for example: a living corpse, squalid luxury. SIS 1985. From ... Historical Dictionary of Russian Gallicisms
See Oxymoron. * * * Oxymoron see Oxymoron. * * * OXYMORON OXYMORON, see Oxymoron (see OXYMORON) ... encyclopedic Dictionary
oxymoron- (from the Greek letters oxymoron: witty stupid) stylistic figure, a combination of opposite words in meaning. Category: language. Pictorially expressive means Synonym: oxymoron Genus: antithesis Other associative links: antonyms ... Terminological dictionary-thesaurus on literary criticism
Oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron (
