Allowing you to create an unexpected and vivid effect in fiction or journalism. It means an oxymoron. The 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 is "oxymoron") comes from the ancient Greek phrase, which can be translated into Russian as "witty stupidity." The name itself is an oxymoron. It can be assumed that it was just the example that gave the name to the whole phenomenon.

Probably, the first oxymorons were the result of inattention or poor knowledge of the language and, accordingly, were stylistic errors. But then this phenomenon was picked up by writers and quickly turned into an artistic device. Its essence is to combine together incompatible 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, an oxymoron is used to create a comic or satirical atmosphere. Examples from fiction eloquently prove how great the expressive potential of this stylistic device is.

Correct stress in a word

Before continuing to study this phenomenon, an important point needs to be clarified. If you use this term in speech, how will 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. The features of the use of oxymorons in the literature of different peoples will be discussed later in the article.

Use as a means of expression

If you carefully read the various examples, the oxymoron appears as an expression of an 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's happy to be sad

So pretty naked.

Here you can see not even one, but two examples of the artistic device we are considering: “happily sad” and “smartly naked”. The purpose of the author is an attempt to look into the depths of things and see them from an unusual 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 the literary genres or styles in which the oxymoron is most often used.

Examples from fiction

Russian literature is replete with similar combinations of words. 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);
• “Tomorrow there was a war” (B. Vasiliev);
• "The End of Eternity" (A. Azimov).

The oxymoron is no less popular in prose works. As an illustration, let's 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 incompatible things, which allows the writer to reveal his idea in the most accurate and memorable way. Also, an example of such an artistic technique can serve as a well-known Latin proverb: "If you want peace, prepare for war."

In all the above literary quotations, one can trace the similarity, namely the intention of the author to connect opposite concepts. This is an oxymoron.

Examples in Russian

Usually we do not even think when we hear or pronounce phrases that are typical oxymorons. "Burning cold", "living dead", "honest thief", "silent cry", "ringing silence", "ordinary miracle", "intelligent nonsense", "speaking silence", "cold fire", "new tradition" - these are all typical examples. An oxymoron can make you think, open up new facets of a particular phenomenon, make you laugh.

If you are writing text and want to use this stylistic device 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 audience correctly perceives your thought.

In foreign languages

No less popular is the oxymoron in English. 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 well-known secret").

Lightless light - "dark light".

Good Bad Boys - "good bad boys".

A young middle-aged woman - "middle-aged young woman".

Love-hate - "hated love".

Bloody good - "damn good".

Peace force - "peaceful force".

Alone together - "loneliness together" (literally "alone together").

Only choice - "the only choice".

Just like 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 - "smell of fear", der fremde freund - "stranger friend") and in many others. Such a bright 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 realizing it. Here are some examples where almost no one notices the oxymoron:

• "greater half";
• "terribly beautiful";
• "drink to health";
• "virtual reality";
• "afterlife", etc.

All these expressions are so firmly established in everyday use that we do not even think about how contradictory they are in their meaning. The study of oxymorons can push you to take a different look at familiar words, expressions and the language as a whole.

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 of it. An 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”) are referred to by researchers as a phenomenon called catachresis, and not an oxymoron. However, the similarity between the two stylistic devices is quite strong.

In addition, many researchers compare oxymoron with a paradox. Indeed, there is much in common between these phenomena.

Paradox, oxymoron, catachresis - these phenomena can be used as artistic devices and demonstrate new, unusual, original sides of our reality.

Oxymoron(ancient Greek οξύμωρον - acute stupidity) - a stylistic figure or a stylistic mistake - a combination of words with the opposite meaning, that is, a combination of incongruous. Oxymoron is characterized by the intentional use of contradiction to create a stylistic effect. From a psychological point of view, an oxymoron is a way to resolve an inexplicable situation.
Sometimes it is born spontaneously, and even takes root for a long time due to its brightness.

Examples of oxymorons:
add minus
benefit
intelligent bandit
honest swindler
merciful flayer
friends terrarium
pack of comrades

Paperless securities
Endless dead end
Cheerful sadness
Hot Snow
The dialectic of tautology
Life-giving euthanasia
Living Dead
gaping peaks
courageous woman
People's oligarchy
elegant nudity
Unpaid salary
Innovative traditions
Ordinary miracle
Urbanism of nomadic tribes

Oxymoron examples from literature

· The oxymoron is often used intitlesprose literary worksDead Souls", "The Unbearable Lightness of Being ", "Endless dead end», « End of Eternity”), films (“ Ordinary miracle», « Eyes wide shut», « True lies", " 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 opposite qualities: "a courageous woman", "a feminine boy".

· In the novel Foucault's Pendulum, the characters of Umberto Ecofantasize about a "university of comparative irrelevance" with a chair of oxymorology. As subjects of study of this department, the author cites "urban studies 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 characterizing 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, the classics of literature were also used, and modern writers also use it. Oxymoron allows you to enhance the emotionality of artistic speech, to reveal the unity of opposites.
Often the authors of literary works and films use an oxymoron in the titles: "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol, "Living relics" by I.S. Turgenev, "The Living Corpse" L.N. Tolstoy, "Honest Thief" F.M. Dostoevsky, "Optimistic Tragedy" by V.V. Vishnevsky, "Rich beggar" L.N. Martynov, "Fierce Paradise" P.G. Antokolsky, "Endless Dead End" by Dmitry Galkovsky, "An Ordinary Miracle" by Evgeny Schwartz, "Eyes Wide Shut" by Arthur Schnitzler (the novel based on the famous film by Stanley Kubrick).

And Daria Dontsova has dozens of such names: "Checkered Zebra", "Quasimodo on high heels", "Fig leaf haute couture", "Cancan at the 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", "Chinese-made Briton", "Madame Pompadour's tattered boots", "Marriageable grandfather", "Egyptian mummy's mistress".

Form start

End of form

An oxymoron is often found in poetry.

And the day has come. Gets up from the bed
Mazepa, this frail sufferer,
This dead body , just yesterday
Moaning weakly over the grave.
A. S. Pushkin

I love the magnificent nature of wilting.
A.S. Pushkin

Even a person who is far from literature can easily distinguish the language of fiction and journalism from technical or scientific texts. The secret of the richness of the literary language is in the use of tropes, metaphors, hyperbole, and so on.

One of the techniques often used by writers is an oxymoron (or otherwise oxymoron). Let's try to figure out what an oxymoron is in artistic speech, how it helps authors create vivid, memorable phrases.

According to Wikipedia, an oxymoron is a combination of concepts opposed to each other.

It is deliberately used to give the text a special stylistic coloring and to clarify an unusual difficult situation.

In psychology, the following examples of the use of these stylistic phrases can be used to explain a particular situation:

• quiet cry;
• stupid scientist;
• false truth;
• ordinary miracle;
• honest lies;
• cleverly stupid.

Oxymoron is of great importance in literature. The fact is that it enhances the perception of the text, which means it causes interest in reading.

Examples are the following sentences:

1. The cold sun will never be the same again.
2. The big baby got up from the bed.
3. This dry liquid terribly tears the throat.
4. Hot ice touched my body.
5. This terrible beauty subjected everyone to a slight numbness.
6. There was a dark gap in the room.
7. And like a cold fire, she wounded my loving heart.
8. I learned much more from a silent interlocutor than from a speaker!
9. 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 literature - this is a special method of sharing words of opposite meaning. This means that what cannot be logically combined is combined.

Despite this definition, an 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 tense atmosphere of the text.

Example sentences using an 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 bright 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 Miserly Knight" and so on.

Oxymoron - what does it mean? This stylistic phenomenon has no boundaries and has a perfect, independent meaning.

Sometimes it is called an unfair association of opposing ideas, because it gives the right to exist to what never was - 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 study, Galperin 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 originality.

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 are of a bright linguistic character. Some of them become oxymorons only in certain contexts. He clearly highlights the fact that often the combination of oxymoron is made with real absurdity.

This is the freshest 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 observes from the outside.

Significance of the oxymoron function in the literature

The following structure of thinking is distinguished when creating oxymorons. Combine the following events:

1. Negativity (death) - a state of gloom, wretchedness and gloom.
2. Positive (beauty) is a phenomenon that determines joy, tenderness, pleasure, bliss and beauty.

These series of combined qualities take into account the most diverse traditions of understanding phenomena.

After the meaning of the concept of oxymoron and approximate ways of using opposite words were clarified, it was a good time to consider vivid examples from the works of famous writers:

1. “Look, she has fun being sad” ().
2. “That you made friends with bad glory” (Yesenin).
3. “Rapture is the poison of poison” (Yesenin).
4. “And the wretched luxury of the outfit” (Nekrasov).
5. "Good bad guys" (J. Orwell).
6. "Greedy sadness" (Voloshin).
7. "Living death" (Ants).
8. “I am pure in heart, but I will kill someone” (Yesenin).
9. “We wanted stinging flour” (Akhmatova).
10. “Death is a great celebration” (Akhmatova).

The role of oxymoron in advertising

Thanks to oxymorons, customers increase their desire to buy a particular product, as well as use a wide variety of services.

Oxymoron: interpretation, role in language

• This watch is ideal for independent and courageous women.
• At our tariff, a real sensation is a crazy price drop!
• Taxi "Fast Turtle" will instantly take you to the right place. Faster with us!
• Bank for adult children and their parents.
• Buy balloons and celebrate your senile youth to the fullest!
• The barking cat pet store offers bargains: 30% off all products!
• Tired of loud silence? Buy wireless music speakers!

Useful video

Summing up

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 culture.

To indicate the compatibility of concepts that are not compatible with each other, a special term is used in Russian - "Oxymoron", Wikipedia characterizes it as a stylistic figure in which words that have the opposite meaning are used together. Usually, such a technique helps to make the literary text more saturated. Each word used in such constructions becomes more voluminous and easily kindles bold and unexpected images in the reader's imagination.

If we turn to the history of the emergence of the term, then it is worth noting that this concept came to us from the ancient Greek language and is translated as "sharp stupidity". The stress in the word oxymoron is placed on the second or last syllable. Also, in one of the variants of its spelling, instead of the letter "u", there may be the letter "i". Therefore, then this word will be written and read as "oxymoron". In addition, in the oxymoron itself, the definition of the term implies a certain paradox inherent in its meaning to combine the incompatible.

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 it becomes interesting for people to find out what kind of product they want to offer under this or that original name or slogan. Also an important characteristic for the use of oxymorons in advertising is their memorability.

Besides, oxymorons are characteristic of 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 bright, expressive trope.

Their scope may be the desire of the author of a literary work to make his creation more dramatic and heated. This is where “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, unhackneyed phrases that allow you to “revive” the text, make it more emotional and interesting.

The following are illustrative examples:

• add minus;
• terrarium of friends;
• fried ice cream;
• dry water.

Oxymorons in book titles

Often, writers use oxymorons in the title of books to immediately grab the reader's attention, as well as arouse his interest and imagination with a literary word. It is likely that it is a well-chosen title that will prompt a person to pick up a book and read it, for example:

• "Living relics" I. Turgenev;
• "Honest Thief" F. Dostoevsky;
• "Rich beggar" L. Martynov;
• "Optimistic tragedy" V. Vishnevsky;
• "Endless dead end" D. Galkovsky.

Don't Miss: An Interpretation of a Literary Technique, Examples of Exaggeration.

Use of oxymorons in poetry

It is also worth noting that oxymorons are a fairly common trope among satirists, but, in addition, it is also found in other genres of fiction. Often this stylistic figure can be seen in poems, for example:

Look, she's happy to be sad

Such smartly naked.

"Tsarskoye Selo statue"

Toy sad joy that I stayed alive?

S. Yesenin "Soviet Russia"

Use of oxymorons in prose

Repeatedly oxymorons were used by writers in prose works. Especially in this regard, it is worth noting science fiction authors who use a combination of the incompatible in building their alternative or utopian realities. Here, first of all, it is worth highlighting J. Orwell, who used this technique to create slogans in, perhaps, his most famous work. - "1984":

War - this is the world.

freedom - this is slavery.

Ignorance - strength.

With just a few precise strokes, Orwell managed to show all the imperfection 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 used in completely different areas, from literature and cinema to advertising and the media. But in all these cases, the text becomes more vivid and memorable. Actually, this is the essence of such a mysterious, mysterious word.