Oxymoron, examples from fiction. Means of expressiveness

Such means of speech as metaphor, absurdity, paradox, irony, become especially relevant in difficult periods of social upheaval. Among them an important place is occupied by an oxymoron. It is still a little studied phenomenon.

Mutually exclusive concepts

The combination of mutually exclusive independent concepts forms an oxymoron. Examples from fiction confirm this: "unobvious obvious" (Goethe), "smartly naked" (A. Akhmatova), "joy of suffering" (A. Fet), "unbearable lightness of being" (M. Kundera).

Oxymoron presents two concepts located side by side, where one of them defines the other. They mutually repel, contradict and logically exclude each other: "a low skyscraper", "unbearable charm", "irrepressible quiet", "turn to hell". Oxymoron in the Russian language was first perceived as "an incorrect combination of ideas into one whole" (N. Ostolopov, 1821). But he was independently present in the literature, although his interpretations in dictionaries appeared only at the beginning of the twentieth century.

A bright artistic turn

Having set side by side two events that deny each other what to do, not just because of psychological inertia, we can create an oxymoron. The text containing only 2 words reveals the internal contradictions between the phenomena, combining the incompatible. Oxymoron is a beautiful and profound artistic turn. In the names of the works of the classics, an oxymoron is often used. Examples from fiction: "Infinite Dead End", "Hot Snow", "The End of Eternity". In poets, it sounds unusually and vividly: "I bitterly enjoyed" (A. Akhmatova), "sad joy" (S. Esenin). The deliberate connection in it of opposing concepts is obvious, but a new semantic unity is revealed. In this case, the effect of the phrase is significantly strengthened.

Struggle definitions

In oxymorons, the semantic content is suppressed emotionally. For example, in the combinations "charming uglydets", "squalid luxury" in the second concept, the significance at the expense of the former decreases. The word "miserable" has a weak object-logical meaning, but more is a subjective assessment of luxury. But the assessment can have a purely emotional tone, for example, in the expression "I'm terribly happy!". And in combination "a small great man" the epithet completely changes the meaning of the next compound word for it to the contrary. Without this emotional evaluation, the phrase will not sound so effective. The unification of opposites creates a certain stylistic effect. Emotional definition is often used as a metaphor, for example, in the phrase "fun to be sad."

Deliberate creation of internal contradiction

In oxymorons, concepts exclude one another, but at the same time they are in harmony and distinguish internal semantic contradictions. If the combination of the two components simultaneously does not have two different meanings: emotional and subject-logical, then this turns out to be a logical mistake, and not the realization of an artistic goal. Their inappropriate use also can not create an oxymoron. Its main function is to express the attitude to the event. It is impossible to explain the essence of the interpretation, if the author does not understand what he is talking about.

Intentionally creating an internal contradiction creates an oxymoron. The combination of the "white crow" is a catachrome - a stylistic error, because there is no contradiction in it. Most likely, this is a wrong combination of incompatible concepts. The word "shoot" earlier meant that a bow or crossbow was used as a weapon. Nobody says: "To release a bullet from a gun" - although this will be more correct. The expression "colored underwear" became familiar, but in the beginning it was only white.

Not every pair of incompatible concepts form an oxymoron. Examples from fiction show that even great classics, like L. Tolstoy, can be mistaken: "... lean on your arm ... head ...". Here there is an ordinary stylistic error.

Means of expressiveness in Russian

In contrast to catachres, oxymoron is paradoxical. Through him they try to find a solution, combining "smart with stupid", creating "deliberate accident" or moving "back to the future". In the psychological sense, this is the only way to resolve the situation when "water and flame must exist together."

Oxymoron contains a whole set of artistic expressive means of speech: irony, metaphor, paradox, allusion. The most common environment of his "habitation" are poems. Oxymoron is there most of all to create a comic effect. This is natural, because the paradoxical information causes a reaction in the form of laughter.

At the first perception, because of the emphatic illogicality, the importance that the oxymoron has is especially high. Examples from fiction: "wild, menacing caress are full" (E. Baratynsky), "innocent passion" (F. Tyutchev). Entering into everyday life, oxymorons lose their sharpness and become ordinary metaphors. Some of them are dynamic in time, they can reborn again, overcoming stereotypes in new forms. Others firmly remain in the role of metaphors: "blue blizzards burned", "the sea is blue boiling" (S. Esenin). Thus, the means of expressiveness in the Russian language can change roles.

Where is the oxymoron hidden?

Oxymorons can be found in the most unexpected cases, for example, in genre notation: "tragicomedy", "novel in verse." Paradoxically, "unpaid wages" sounds. Artists often use the technique of combining incongruous. For this, other means are used: dimensional relationships, sharpness of silhouettes, tension of colors and lines, caricatures.

Conclusion

Oxymoron is based on a two-way opposition, creating from a relationship of opposites a single holistic phenomenon. It can be a simple device for using words, as well as one of the ways to understand and display reality.