What does an oxymoron mean. Oxymoron, examples from fiction

It's like it's wrong stylistic figure using words with polar opposite meanings.

And what is an oxymoron

The combination of the incompatible in all the contradiction of meanings. But purely psychologically, an oxymoron helps to clarify the most confusing, inexplicable situations. Brightly colored often takes root in speech so much that people stop flinching and being surprised when they hear an oxymoron.

Examples - oxymoron accustomed

Very often and quite ordinary sound characteristics: courageous woman, feminine man, honest swindler(Mavrodi) , humane flayer(poisoned the dog in the park so that the children would not be afraid) , intelligent banditry(the policy of the United States), and as a phrase, no one is surprised at all.

Classic oxymorons

More often oxymorons are invented. After all, what is an oxymoron? This is, among other things, an indicator of the presence of a speaker or writer. Surely everyone will smile when they hear or read this: to harm and do good, funny commemoration - they broke three button accordions. Therefore, not only writing people trying his 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 " Ordinary miracle".

Modern oxymorons

However, many modern oxymorons are born with a claim to survive: unpaid salary no one is surprised anymore. BUT elegant nudity not only amazes, but also delights with poetics. Life goes into endless dead end. Buy uncertificated securities ! Life-giving euthanasia Russian language. Innovative tradition indestructible! " An optimistic tragedy"that guarantee and" With wide eyes closed ". Daria Dontsova is especially creative in this regard. Almost every title of her books is an oxymoron. This is in contemporary literature is quite common when the contradiction of meanings helps to quickly understand the meaning of the described phenomenon and remember it more strongly. And the stylistic effect is obvious: the oxymoron is even used in trainings to liberate "childhood" inside an adult. Remember Chukovsky: a terrible giant - who is this? Cockroach, just.

Neologisms

The main condition for creating 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- can also apply not only to Detochkin, but also to Navalny. And fair trial! old news- excellent definition of information in a century high technology. Oxymoron as such is not even quite a definition, it is very close to the action. Therefore, especially gifted writers came up with a neologism: oxymoron, For example. Sounds great: reforms are an oxymoron. The main thing is that everything is clear to everyone, which means that the definition is on point. So we figured out what an oxymoron is.

To indicate the compatibility of concepts that are not compatible with each other in Russian, it is used special term - "Oxymoron", Wikipedia characterizes it as a stylistic figure in which words that have the opposite meaning are used together. This approach usually helps artistic 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, it is worth noting that this concept came to us from ancient Greek and translates as "sharp stupidity". The stress in the word oxymoron is placed on the second or on 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., since they are quite effective tool capable of attracting 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 title or slogan. Also 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 bright, expressive path.

Their scope may be the desire of the author of a literary work to make his creation more dramatic and heated. This is where the deafening silence begins. cruel kindness" and other similar phrases. 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 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.

As good examples the following can be given:

  • 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. artistic 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: The Interpretation of Such literary device like , 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. 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 and 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 - force.

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 last example, are mutually exclusive.

Therefore, oxymorons can be found in almost any literary genre. They apply perfectly to various fields ranging 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.

Oxymoron

Oxymoron

OXYMORON (Greek - “sharp stupidity”) is a term of ancient style, denoting a deliberate combination of conflicting concepts. Example: “Look, she is happy to be sad / So smartly naked” (Akhmatova). special case O. is formed by the figure of a contradictio in adjecto, a combination of a noun with an adjective that is contrasting in meaning: “wretched luxury” (Nekrasov).
The figure of O. is characterized by an underlined inconsistency of meanings merged into one: in this O. differs both from catachresis (see), where there is no opposition of contradictory words connected, and from antithesis (see), where there is no merging of opposing concepts.
The possibility of realizing the figure of O. and its stylistic significance are based on the traditional nature of the language, on its inherent ability to “designate only the general”. The merging of contrasting meanings is therefore perceived as an opening of a contradiction between the name of an object and its essence, between the traditional assessment of an object and its true significance, as an opening of contradictions present in the phenomenon, as a transfer of the dynamics of thinking and being. Therefore, some researchers (eg R. Meyer), not without reason, point to O.'s proximity to the paradox (see).
The presence of O. as a stylistic figure in itself, of course, does not characterize either the style or creative method writer. True, attempts were made to see in abundance O. typical trait romantic and rhetorical styles - styles of eras of special exacerbation of social contradictions (R. Meyer). But these attempts can hardly be considered conclusive. Determining the significance of an 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 above O. Nekrasova (“wretched luxury”) and Akhmatova (“smartly naked”). Stylistics.

Literary Encyclopedia. - In 11 tons; M.: publishing house of the Communist Academy, Soviet Encyclopedia, Fiction. Edited by V. M. Friche, A. V. Lunacharsky. 1929-1939 .

Oxymoron

Oxymoron (Greek ox?mo-ron - witty-silly), a stylistic device consisting in the selection of a phrase, the direct meanings of which words are logically opposed, but one of the words is metaphor and its indirect meaning does not contradict the meaning of another word.

Look, her fun to be sad,
Such smartly naked.
(A. A. Akhmatova, "Tsarskoye Selo statue")

Here epithets"fun" 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" Yu. V. Bondareva).

Literature and language. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. Gorkina A.P. 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] philol. figure of speech, consisting in the combination of two antonymic concepts, two words, contradictory friend by meaning (e.g., "old boy", " White crow”, “eloquent silence”). Wed CATAHRESIS.… … Vocabulary foreign words Russian language

    See Oxymoron... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Exist., number of synonyms: 3 pun (6) oxymoron (7) humor (32) ASIS Synonym Dictionary ... Synonym dictionary

    Oxymoron, oxymoron (other Greek οξύμωρον "smart 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 intentional ... ... Wikipedia

    oxymoron- I. OXYMORON, OXYMORON a, m. oxymorone m. gr. oxymoron witty stupid. A stylistic turn that combines semantically contrasting words that create an unexpected semantic unity, for example: a living corpse, wretched luxury. SIS 1985. From ... Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

    See Oxymoron. * * * Oxymoron, see Oxymoron. * * * OXYMORON OXYMORON, see Oxymoron (see OXYMORON) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

    oxymoron- (from the Greek oxymoron letters: witty stupid) a stylistic figure, a combination of words opposite in meaning. Rubric: language. figuratively means of expression Synonym: oxymoron Genus: antithesis Other associative links: antonyms ... Terminological dictionary-thesaurus in Literary Studies

    oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron, oxymoron (

Even a person who is far from literature can easily distinguish the language of fiction and journalism from technical or scientific texts. Wealth secret literary language- 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 writers create vivid, catchy 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 explanation of an unusual difficult situation.

In psychology to explain specific situation can be used following examples use of these stylistic phrases:

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

Oxymoron has 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 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 a. 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", " Miserly 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 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 Russian Dictionary word stress, falls on the second syllable: oxymoron.

In his study, Galperin states that this stylistic device never reproduced exactly in everyday speech, but is always re-created. 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 wear 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 most a fresh look to such an attractive method of variety of speech. 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

Allocate following structure thinking 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 exemplary ways sharing opposite words, it is a good time to consider bright 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.
  • On our tariff real sensation- a price drop!
  • Taxi "Fast Turtle" will instantly take you to 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!

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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.

It's an oxymoron, it's an oxymoron a stylistic figure, consisting in a combination of incongruous in meaning; contradictory unity, a kind of paradox. Oxymoron is also considered a kind of antithesis, however, antithesis is the opposition of concepts and phenomena, their fundamental distinction, i.e. its function is in fact the opposite of that of the Oxymoron. An oxymoron is often used in poetry.

Examples of using Oxymoron:

A.S. Pushkin - “my sadness is bright” (“On the hills of Georgia lies night haze...", 1829), "I love the lush nature of withering" ("Autumn", 1833), A.A. Akhmatova - "spring autumn" (" Unprecedented autumn built a high dome…”, 1922), “So ceremonially naked” (“without a hero”, 1940-62). Oxymoron often become titles: “English Spaniard” (1613) by M. Cervantes, “ Dead Souls"(1842) by N.V. Gogol, "Leaves of Grass" (1855) by W. Whitman, "The Living Corpse" (1900) by L.N. Tolstoy. An oxymoronic genre designation "a poem in prose". For the New Age, Oxymoron is a "novel in verse", as well as a "story in verse", which arose in Russia in the 18th century and became the most important genre for romantics. An oxymoron may arise unintentionally, as a stylistic sloppiness. In M.Yu. Lermontov’s poem “Dream” (1841), “a familiar corpse” is, in fact, an Oxymoron that would look comical if it were not for the deep tragedy of the general tone and the atmosphere characteristic of sleep, blurring the boundaries between imagination and reality, life and death.

Synesthesia is close to the oxymoron- combining the impressions received different bodies feelings. In Russia, V.A. Zhukovsky began to practice it widely. The elegy “Evening” (1806) is indicative: “Oh, the quiet skies of the pensive luminaries ... How pale you have gilded the shore!” (actually oxymoronic synesthesia). In B.L. Pasternak, the sun “covered the neighboring forest with hot ocher ...” (“August”, 1953) is a metaphorical synesthesia. Of the prose writers, VV Nabokov showed great interest in synesthesia.