Antithesis is an ingenious way of rejecting symbolism

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Many literary geniuses often used such artistic means as antithesis in their works. It was a kind of expression of conflicting feelings, and its peak was in times of crisis, when the usual way of life was undergoing serious changes. A prominent representative of this tool is "Fathers and Sons", because even in the title of the novel, an antithesis is visible. The examples do not end there, of course, but given that the work already has the considered literary device in its organizing beginning, it is ideal. Turgenev decided to use the antithesis for a reason, since the plot of his novel reflects a turning point. It was founded in the conflict of generations, and they did not necessarily live on the pages of the work.

Antithesis is a special stylistic figure that compares opposite concepts in fiction in order to enhance the impression. It can be assumed that its use is quite difficult, and few authors will be able to successfully apply it. But the classics effortlessly coped with the antithesis, andYou don't have to dig deep to find out. You can browse titles such as "Crime and Punishment" or the mighty "War and Peace".

However, not only in prose is antithesis used, this artistic tool has always been popular among poets. Most often here you can find visual images, as in the lines of Pushkin in the work "Eugene Onegin" ("Water and Stone … Ice and Fire"). The semantic opposition is less common (“For oneself - master and servant”). You can get acquainted with such poems, where the semantic load is built precisely on the antithesis. For example, Lermontov has an octet in which he talks about a lonely pine tree located on the northern peak, and she has a dream about a palm tree growing on a sandy cliff. There is a kind of interweaving going on here. On the one hand, there is a pronounced opposition, and on the other, loneliness, independent of place and climate.

Thus, the antithesis is a technique of literary artistic speech. And he will be more receptive and stronger if the two oppositions form the maximum contrast between them.

Speaking of the antithesis, one cannot but pay attention to the thesis. An example of it can be observed in Sadko's opera: there are no pearls in the midday sea … This is an expression that needs to be proven, but as regards our sample directly, it does not need proof, since it is obvious. And the most important thing in the thesis is that it must be clear and precise, and not get lost in the course of the argument. Often peopleprove to each other that one of them needs to stop smoking. The argument here, as a rule, is one, and it is focused on the harm of nicotine. If you think about it, the evidence is aimed directly at the fact that smoking is bad, but not at all that someone should quit this habit.

The thesis is rarely used in literature, it is closer to the exact sciences. And the antithesis has become widespread among authors. But do not think that using one of these techniques is easier or harder. Real talent is needed for the harmonious application of thesis and antithesis.