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The term is an oxymoron. Examples of oxymorons from fiction

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:

The cold sun will never be the same again.
The big baby got up from the bed.
This dry liquid terribly tears the throat.
Hot ice touched my body.
This terrible beauty subjected everyone to a slight numbness.
There was a dark gap in the room.
And like a cold fire, she wounded my loving heart.
I learned much 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 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:

Negativity (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 the most diverse traditions of understanding phenomena.

Once the meaning of the concept of oxymoron has been clarified and the approximate ways in which opposite words are used together, it is a good time to consider vivid examples from the works of famous writers:

“Look, she has fun being sad” ().
“That you made friends with bad glory” (Yesenin).
“Rapture is the poison of poison” (Yesenin).
“And the wretched luxury of the outfit” (Nekrasov).
"Good bad guys" (J. Orwell).
"Greedy sadness" (Voloshin).
"Living death" (Ants).
“I am pure in heart, but I will kill someone” (Yesenin).
“We wanted stinging flour” (Akhmatova).
“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.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. An oxymoron is variety of figures of speech(a phrase, usually consisting of two words), which is “all so contradictory” (just like a woman), which takes it to the quick. No, really. In oxymoron (in Russian, such a spelling is acceptable along with oxymoron - accent on the letter U) combine seemingly incongruous qualities and essences. This is what makes these figures remarkable.

This term has Greek roots and is a compound of two again contradictory words - acute (in the sense of smart, i.e. funny) and stupid (in the sense of stupid). That is, we get some witty stupidity, and if we use it worse, then this is nothing but nonsense, or nonsense (the latter is probably best suited).

So what is an oxymoron (sometimes incorrectly spelled as an axemoron in queries), if you try to define it? And this is, in fact, combination of two contrasting words(often opposite in meaning, such as "cold as fire"). Do you want examples? Yes please, as much as you want.

Below you will find dozens of them, but for now, for starters: “virtual reality”, “true lies” (remember such a film with Schwartz?), “flying fall” (and this is from advertising), “deafening silence”, “loud silence” , “beautiful to horror” (as an option - “terribly beautiful”), “hot ice” (hockey fans will understand), “living dead”, “silent scream”, etc. These are all examples of oxymorons, but there are more and more of them, because they are great to catch and attract attention. Why? Let's figure it out.

What is an oxymoron or why combine the incompatible?

First of all oxymoron is a way to get attention, interest, make a person surprised, stop, think ... For example, the phrase “long moment” or “complex simplicity” is somewhat discouraging, stunning (how is this even possible?), causes unusual and unexpected associations, it can even make someone smile (that's wrapped up!).

Where is the best place to use it? Well, of course, where it is required to attract attention with just a few words. Therefore, oxymorons are very common. in book titles(examples are “living corpse”, “hot ice”, “honest thief”, “eloquent silence”, “optimistic tragedy”, “end of eternity”), movie titles(bright examples are “true lies”, “ordinary miracle”, “old New Year”, “back to the future”, “there was a war tomorrow”), in advertising slogans, poems.

Our brain stumbles over these expressions, begins to process them, actively tries to imagine, the right hemisphere responsible for creativity awakens ... Literally two words excite fantasy, begin to excite the imagination ... But this is exactly what the author of the book and the director of the film need ( Yes, even the author of the advertising slogan and video) - they need to arouse your interest in their product.

I'm not talking about poets - such figures of speech add charm to poetry and make them unique.

By citing an oxymoron (two opposite and mutually exclusive concepts) in the title of a work (or poems), they ensure that both words lose their original meaning, but in the end in the head is formed something new, unprecedented, which means an enticing and provocative desire to read this book, watch a movie, and read and read poetry endlessly. Wonderful thing, isn't it?

An oxymoron is also often used to create some kind of drama - for example, "cruel kindness" or "deafening silence." No wonder they say that brevity is the sister of talent. And here it turns out very briefly (only two words) and at the same time so capaciously ... But put side by side, they often give the work an artistic brightness, because they have a strong effect of surprise and put before those who read them a logical paradox, which everyone places for himself in his own way. And that's the beauty of it...

But not only here you can find examples. Look, one word that contradicts itself is tragicomedy. Or another from the field of creativity: "a novel in verse." In general, such phrases are mostly invented by creative people, therefore, they also settle in their everyday life (for example, painters, stylists and even culinary specialists have the principle of “combining the incompatible”, and this is nothing but an oxymoron).

Advertisers, on the other hand, use oxymorons (smart nonsense, if the word is literally translated from Greek) also because such phrases are very well remembered(literally eat into the mind). And it doesn't just apply to advertising. You have probably heard the expression "dry water", which, contrary to the official name of this chemical compound with a six-story formula (fluoroketone), easily fits into your head. Or "liquid nails" - bright and most importantly understandable.

Want more examples from the great and mighty Russian language? A little lower there will be a lot of them, but nevertheless I will emphasize in a separate line historical examples, which, due to their literal perception, have become a kind of dogma, although in fact they are representatives of the family of oxymorons.

In the not very distant socialist past, we considered the expression “public property” to be quite common, but, in fact, this phrase is made up of concepts that contradict each other (public means indivisible, and property means separation, isolation). Another example from the same place is “honorable duty” (in relation to military service) or a little later (in the dashing nineties) the phrase “unpaid salary” was in common use, although the word “payment” already means a completed action. In general, there are many examples.

Examples of oxymorons in Russian

As I mentioned above, there are a lot of examples of the use of this vivid figure of speech. in titles of works of art. I have already given some of them, but I will try to expand this list:

In poems, poets very often they use contradictory and paradoxical phrases to enhance the artistic brightness of their works:

And finally, I just want to bring examples of oxymorons which I like in one way or another:

more half
scary beautiful
living Dead
sad joy
eloquent silence
liquid Nails
dry water
old New Year
sad laugh
sweet bitterness
heat cold
sweet tears
afterlife
the virtual reality
deafening silence
ringing silence
powerful impotence
dull shine
long moment
original copies
eyes wide shut
true lie
loud silence
summer coat
possessed angel
sincere liar
impudent modesty
voluntary violence
drink to health
unanimous disagreement
benevolent enemy
infinite limit
educated boor
little giant
nimble muddler
married bachelor
fiery ice
silent cry
falling up
fun to be sad
chilling ardor
screaming silence
long moment
complex simplicity
sworn friend
wavy surface
clumsy grace
powerful impotence
public secret
affectionate scoundrel
stubborn consent
happy pessimist
soft hardness
amorphous activist
hazy clarity
bitter happiness
unbearable beauty
unstoppable quiet
low skyscraper
swiss refugee
outspoken politics
honest politician

Do you have anything to add? Sometimes very vivid examples do not come to mind until someone prompts them. I am waiting for your examples of illogical, but such charming phrases a la oxymoron ...

Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site

Examples of an oxymoron

Larger half (if this is half, then it can no longer be more or less)
Living Dead
dry water
old New Year
deafening silence
original copies
True lies
impudent modesty
Brought up boor
Clever muddler
Silent scream
sworn friend
public secret
Honest politician (subtle irony)
Swiss refugee (and this is quite for a witty person)

In short, you already understood that an oxymoron usually consists 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 whose titles are pure oxymorons. For example: "Ordinary Miracle", "True Lies", "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 Powers"
"Honest Thief"
"Dead Souls"
V. Vishnevsky "Optimistic tragedy"
"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 will be able to successfully use this concept when communicating with people. After all, this figure of speech stylistically decorates the conversation, giving the speaker the effect of a talented storyteller.

Oxymoron in literature

Note that poets often use oxymorons to embellish the lofty 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's happy to be sad

Such smartly nude.

, "Poor and elegant":

The restless tenderness of a look,

And the fake paint licks

And the wretched luxury of attire -

Everything is not in her favor.

, "From Karamzina's album":

But their ugly beauty

I soon comprehended the mystery

And I'm bored of them incoherent

And deafening language.

Well, now you not only know what an oxymoron is, but also got acquainted with the most outstanding examples from world literature.

For dessert, we offer you to look at a magnificent, subtle and sophisticated oxymoron in the form of a picture:

To fix this smart word in your vocabulary, use it a couple of times in everyday life.

How to do it?

Well, for example, your mother or wife will prepare food for you. After tasting the food, gently say: “Terrible delicious!”.

If there is no reaction, then try to calmly but solidly 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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ὀξύς "sharp" + μωρός "Stupid") - to the point of seeming absurdity, a pointed expression, a figurative combination of concepts that contradict each other; a witty juxtaposition of conflicting concepts, a paradox; stylistic figure or 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.

Examples

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

An oxymoron is often used in the titles of prose literary works (“Hot Snow”, “Living Corpse”, “Dead Souls”, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”, “Endless Dead End”, “End of Eternity”), films (“Ordinary Miracle”, “With Eyes Wide Shut", "True Lies", "Little Giant of Big Sex", "There Was a War Tomorrow", "Bad Good Man", "Adult Children", "Dead Poets Society", musical groups (Led Zeppelin - "lead airship" , Blind Guardian - "blind guard"), video games (LittleBigPlanet).
Oxymorons are used to describe objects that combine opposite qualities: "a courageous woman", "a feminine boy".
In the novel Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco's characters fantasize 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".
Oxymorons are often used in advertising and not always in good faith. For example, the expression "investment in the forex market" is an example of a professional oxymoron, since the private foreign exchange market by its nature cannot be an object of investment, only speculation (in the economic literature there is often an attempt to separate speculation and investment; however, there is no consensus. For more details, see article "investments").
The very word "oxymoron" (lit. "witty-stupid") is an oxymoron. (See recursive definition).

It is necessary to distinguish between oxymorons and stylistic combinations of words characterizing various qualities: for example, the phrase “sweet bitterness” is an oxymoron, and “poisonous honey”, “found loss”, “sweet torment” are stylistic combinations.