Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths

"Paradox is a particularly powerful device to ensnare truth
because it concisely illuminates the contradictions that are at the very heart of our lives."

I love words. Whenever I come across someone with a similar love, I am immediately filled with joy. Someone understands me!!

Add to that someone who has an excellent sense of humor, has children who are professional poker players and generally seems to be delighted to have you read his words AND he even made UP a word *the title of the book "Oxymoronica" is a word coined by the author... well, need I say more?

No, but I will anyway. *Smile*

Dr. Grothe introduces the concept and then each chapter as the
quotes themselves are separated thematically. His tone in these sections is engaging. Word lovers will immediately recognize a fellow traveller in the dictionaries, thesauruses and quote books of life and breathe a deep sigh of joy.

Definitely one to read and reflect upon repeatedly.

It seems so funny, amusing, engaging and it is also very deeply amusing and engaging.

More Oxymoronica.


A Tool For Wordsmiths: Mini-Review of "Oxymoronica" by Dr. Mardy Grothe   May 31, 2006
 18 out of 18 found this review helpful

I have always found words to be marvelous tools, weapons or playthings - depending on who is wielding them and in what tone of voice. I marvelous at those who have the talent to express time-tested ideas in new and entertaining ways. So, I was delighted to find this little gem, written by Dr. Mardy Grothe: Oxymoronica - Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths." This HarperCollins book will be added to my bookshelf of hand reference works.

According to Dr. Grothe's own definition, "oxymoronica" are: "Any variety of tantalizing, self-contradictory statements or observations that on the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper level are true, often profoundly true."

The author has been collecting memorable quotations for many years, and out of the tens of thousands in his collection, he chose two hundred pages worth that best represent the art of verbal paradox.

I could share quotations from every page that are worth passing on, but to keep this mini-review from become too "maxi," I will share only a few quotations culled from my favorite authors.

From Dickens - the immortal opening passage to A Tale of Two Cities:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
It was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity,
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
It was the spring of hope, it was the spring of despair,
We had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
We were all going direct to Heaven,
We were all going direct the other way."
(Page 197)

From Dickens Bleak House:

"He is an honorable, obstinate, truthful, high-spirited, intensely prejudiced, perfectly reasonable man."
(Page 205)

From Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground:

"In despair there are the most intense enjoyments, especially when one is very acutely conscious of the hopelessness of one's position."

"Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering."
(Page 200)

From Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye:

"As in the case of many misanthropes, his disdain for people led him into a profession designed to serve them."
(Page 201)

From Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard:

"When a lot of remedies are suggested for a disease, that means it can't be cured."
(Page 204)

Joseph Heller, in Catch-22, is a veritable fount of oxymoronic wit and wisdom:

"Even amongst men lacking all distinction he inevitably stood out as a man lacking more distinction than all the rest, and people who met him where always impressed by how unimpressive he was."

"The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likeable. In three days, no one could stand him."

Heller - in Something Happened:

"When I grow up I want to be a little boy."
(Page 207)

From Aldous Huxley in Point Counter Point:

"Several excuses are always less convincing than one."
(Page 208)

Washington Irving in Bracebridge Hall:

"Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old."
(Page 208)

Edgar Allan Poe in The Purloined Letter:

"The best place to hide anything is in plain view."
(Page 211)

George Bernard Shaw in Man and Superman:

"The most unbearable pain is produced by prolonging the keenest pleasure."

Another Shavian gem, from Heartbreak House:

"The surest way to ruin a man who doesn't know how to handle money is to give him some."
(Page 212)

Finally, Alexander Solzhenitsyn in The First Circle:

"You only have power over people as long as you don't take everything away form them. But when you've robbed a man of everything he's no longer in your power - he's free again."
(Page 212)

This is a book you can read in one sitting, and then will return to again and again for inspiration and delight.

In keeping with the spirit of the book, let me conclude: "This little volume is a quick snack that will feed you for a lifetime!"

Enjoy!

Al



A Treasure-Trove of Double-Faceted Gems   August 28, 2004
 17 out of 17 found this review helpful

Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of _Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You_, has written another gem -- _Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths_. The subtitle is perfectly apt: Wit and wisdom form the crux of an oxymoron, and Grothe's examples -- drawn from around the world -- span millennia.

As Grothe says in his introduction, "Many examples of oxymoronica appear illogical or self-contradictory on the surface. But at a deeper level, they usually make a great deal of sense and are often profoundly true."

A linguaphile extraordinaire, Grothe has been collecting quotations for nearly four decades. From his eight to ten thousand examples of oxymoronica, he has culled nearly 1500 for inclusion in the present volume. He has arranged them into fourteen chapters, each with a theme, such as romance, family, politics, the arts, and literature. One chapter is devoted to "ancient oxymoronica," another to "inadvertent oxymoronica." Grothe provides commentary through about the first half of each chapter, citing oxymora (the purists' plural) that illustrate his points. The last half of each chapter presents additional oxymora without commentary. Grothe advises readers not to read these too quickly but to take time to savor each one as if it were gourmet chocolate.

Here are a few of my favorites from _Oxymoronica_:

There is no exception to the rule that every rule has an exception. --James Thurber

Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it. --Montaigne

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. --G. K. Chesterton

I'm the Hiroshima of love. --Sylvester Stallone

_Oxymoronica_ is a linguaphile's paradise. It will delight you again and again with its double-faceted gems. It is a celebration not only of people's wit and wisdom but also of the paradoxical nature of our world.


Sophomoric essay gone awry   October 17, 2005
 16 out of 22 found this review helpful

The author has used an inherently intriguing aspect of the field of linguistics -- the oxymoron -- and has written an awful book about it. While the examples are all fine (though some do not technically belong), it it the author's own writing in betwixt the quotes that is unbearable. I expect better prose from my 5th grader. Not worth the time.


Entertaining, Useful and and a Pleasure to Read!   March 28, 2004
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

I loved this book! If you are interested in the clever and inadvertently clever use of language, you will enjoy Oxymoronica. The chapters are organized into general categories and I especially enjoyed the ones on Politics and Family Life. I think the book would be an excellent resource for attorneys, pastors, teachers and anyone interested in public speaking.