Paradox

Takeaways

• It can operate in phrase, character, theme, or plot.
• The contradiction should be meaningful rather than merely clever.
• Paradox often preserves complexity that thesis would flatten.

Overview

Paradox is a statement or structure that appears contradictory but discloses a more complex relation. Literature often uses paradox to hold incompatible truths in active tension.

Examples

• A character gains freedom only by accepting obligation.
• A comic ending reveals the seriousness of the social wound.