THE USE OF PARADOX IN PROSE: AN EXPLORATION OF CONTRADICTION AS A LITERARY DEVICE
Abstract
The paper is devoted to the intriguing realm of paradox in prose, investigating its role as a powerful and captivating literary device. Paradox, characterized by the simultaneous existence of contradictory elements, challenges readers' conventional understanding and invites deeper contemplation. Through a comprehensive examination of renowned literary works and critical analysis, various functions and effects of paradox in prose will be outlined. How paradox can be employed at different narrative levels, such as character development, plot construction, and thematic exploration is a truly intriguing issue. By examining key examples from classic and contemporary literature, including authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Shakespeare, Herman Melville etc. the article demonstrates how paradox enriches storytelling by creating tension, ambiguity, and cognitive dissonance.
Keywords
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, ShakespeareHow to Cite
References
Baldick Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms // N.Y.: Oxford university press, 2001. - P . 183.
Batanouny G.M. El. Syntactic and Semantic Classification of Paradox and their Relation to Reader's Interpretation. // Journal of Literary Semantics. -Canterbury, 1991. - XX/3. - p. 129-163.
Bertolet R. What is said: A theory of indirect speech reports / R.Bertolet. - Dordrecht etc.: Kluwer, 1990. - 251 p.
Booth W. C. " The Rhetoric of Fiction" and the Poetics of Fictions //Novel: A Forum on Fiction. – Duke University Press, 1968. – Т. 1. – №. 2. – С. 105-117.
Brooks C. The well wrought urn: Studies in the structure of poetry. – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1947. – №. 11.
Ching M.K. L. A literary and linguistic analysis of compact verbal paradox. // Linguistic perspectives on Literature. - London, 1980. - p. 175-181.
Christ H.I. Irony, paradox and the Zen koan. // ETC. A Review of General Semantics. 1968 - vol. 25. - № 3. - p. 350-352.
Comorovsky C. Paradoxical microstructures in the drama of O.Wilde and J.Giraudou // Synthesis. - Bucarest, 1975. - vol. 2. - p. 155-173.
De Mann P. The rhetoric of temporality. – 1969.
Dilthey W. The Rise of Hermeneutics // New LitHistory. Charlottesville, 1972. - V.2. - №2. - P 229-243.
Fish S. Is there a text in this class? //Campus Wars. – Routledge, 2021. – С. 49-56.
Forrester M. A. Psychology of Language. A Critical Introduction. -London: Sage Publications, 1996. - 216 p.
Frye N. Anatomy of criticism //The Novel: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory 1900-2000. – 2005. – С. 97.
Grossman M. Dada: Paradox, mystification and ambiguity in European literature. - New York: Pegasus Books, 1971. - 192 p.
Hardy B. William Empson and" Seven Types of Ambiguity" //The Sewanee Review. – 1982. – Т. 90. – №. 3. – С. 430-439.
Iser W. The act of reading: A theory of aesthetic response //Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. – 1979. – Т. 38. – №. 1.
Jakobson R. Linguistics and Poetics. // Style in Language. - N.7., L.: J.Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1960. - p. 350-377.
Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture. - Longman Group UK Ltd., 1995. - 1528 p.
Lyons J. Semantics / J. Lyons. - London; New York: Cambridge university press, 1977. - Vol. 1. - 278 p.
Miller J. H. The ethics of reading //Style. – 1987. – С. 181-191.
Pearce R. Symmetry/Disruption: A Paradox in Modern Science and Literature. // One Culture: Essays in Science and Literature. - Madison, 1987, V III. - p. 164-179.