Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom

Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom

Grothe, Mardy

Collins

A must-have for language lovers, this compendium contains hundreds of mind-stretching observations that are contradictory or illogical on one level, yet true, witty, and often profound on another.
ox-y-mor-on-i-ca (OK-se-mor-ON-uh-ca) noun: Any variety of tantalizing, self-contradictory statements or observations that on the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper level are profoundly true.
For example:
"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad." —Victor Hugo
"To lead the people, walk behind them." —Lao-tzu
"You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap." —Dolly Parton
For over a decade Dr. Mardy Grothe has delighted readers with this collection of 1,400 of the most provocative quotations of all time. From ancient thinkers like Confucius, Aristotle and Saint Augustine, to great writers like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and G. B. Shaw, to modern social observers like Woody Allen and Lily Tomlin, Oxymoronica celebrates the power and beauty of paradoxical thinking. All areas of human activity are explored, including love, sex, romance, politics, the arts, marriage and family, and, of course, the literary life. Sure to grab the attention of language lovers everywhere, the wise and witty observations in this book are as entertaining as they are intellectually nourishing.

OXYMORONICA

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

HarperPB

What do Mae West, John F. Kennedy, Victor Hugo, and H. L. Mencken have in common? They all indulged in chiasmus-a literary device in which word order is reversed to hilarious or poignant effect. When Mae West said, "It's not the men in my life, it's the life in my men," she was using chiasmus; when John F. Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," he was doing the same. Dr. Mardy Grothe has compiled hundreds of examples of chiasmus in this whimsically illustrated collection, bringing this witty and thought-provoking device out of obscurity and into the public imagination.

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