Paradox
A paradox is a statement that holds truth, but is a self-contradiction. Edward Quinn addresses the problem with paradoxical writing in poetry, stating, “paradox represents a central feature of poetry” (Quinn). In other words, poetry without paradoxes would be dull and meaningless. Although paradoxes seem to be very well constructed, most paradoxes are created in the spur of a moment. They are not created to hold literal meaning but rather to hold ironic significance to the reader. George Bernard Shaw’s quote, “the truth is the only thing that no one will believe,” aided Amanda Boyd in her literal analysis of a paradox (Boyd).
Works Cited
- Boyd Amanda. Writer's Encyclopedia Third Edition. F&W publications, Inc. Cincinnati OH. 1996.
- Quinn Edward. A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms. Facts on File, Inc. New York, NY. 1999.