矛盾修辞法在文学作品中的应用.docx

1、矛盾修辞法在文学作品中的应用. 题 目： 矛盾修辞法在文学作品中的应用姓 名： 汪建亚 学 号： 201003010261 系 别： 外国语学院 专 业： 英 语 年级班级： 2010级本科4班 指导教师： 康 凯 2014年5月The Application of Oxymoron in Literary WorksSubmitted by Wang JianyaStudent ID number 201003010261Supervised by Kang KaiA paper submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degr

2、ee of Bachelor of ArtsThe College of Foreign LanguagesZhoukou Normal UniversityMay, 2014毕业论文（设计）作者声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的毕业论文是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的研究成果。除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。本人完全了解有关保障、使用毕业论文的规定，同意学校保留并向有关毕业论文管理机构送交论文的复印件和电子版。同意省级优秀毕业论文评选机构将本毕业论文通过影印、缩印、扫描等方式进行保存、摘编或汇编；同意本论文被编入有关数据库进行检索和查

3、阅。本毕业论文内容不涉及国家机密。论文题目：矛盾修辞法在文学作品中的应用作者单位：外国语学院英语专业2010级本科4班作者签名： 2014年 5 月 Contents摘 要 iAbstract iiI. Introduction 1II.The Definitions and Characteristics of Oxymoron 22.1 Definition of the English Oxymoron 22.2 The Characteristics of Oxymoron 2III. The Formation of Oxymoron 33.1 The External Struct

4、ure 33.2 The Internal Structure 4. The Application of Oxymoron in Literary Works 54.1 The Application of Oxymoron in Shakespeares Plays 64.1.1 Introduction to Shakespeare 64.1.2 The Application of Oxymoron in Shakespeares Plays 64.2 The Application of Oxymoron in Xu Zhimos Poem 114.2.1 Introduction

5、to Xu Zhimo 114.2.2 The Application of Oxymoron in “Sayonara- to a Japanese Girl” 124.3 The Application of Oxymoron in John Miltons Poem 134.3.1 Introduction to John Milton 134.3.2 The Application of Oxymoron in “Paradise Lost” 13V. Conclusion 14Bibliography 16Acknowledgements 17摘 要在传统的研究视野中，矛盾修辞法只是

6、所有的修辞法中一个极为普遍的修辞格，并未成为主要的研究目标。然而，在当代的研究环境下，学者给予了辞格研究新的生命。传统的辞格研究方法，已经非常陈旧，而且研究方法和视野都存在很大的缺陷，因此，更新研究方法，寻找新视野是历史和学科发展的必然。在修辞格中，我们发现有一种辞格有很大的差别，却没有引起研究者的注意，这个辞格是“矛盾修辞法”。这种辞格与其它辞格不同，而且出现的频率也低，但是它是一种非常典型的辞格。因此，作者试图探索矛盾修辞法涉及其在文学作品中的应用。首先，我们将全面回顾“矛盾修辞法”的各种定义，以及它的结构，这是研究它的必要前提，然后，我们从文学的角度对矛盾修辞法进行了简要的综述，同时也为

7、他人的研究提供了历史学科基础。本文从矛盾修辞法在文学作品中的运用的角度去研究，从中也可以看出矛盾在语言和人类思维中的作用可能远远超出我们目前所认识的那样。因此，对于矛盾修辞法就有更多的研究和探索的可能。关键词:矛盾修辞法;修辞格;文学作品;应用AbstractIn all rhetorical devices, “oxymoron” is just a very common figure of speech in traditional views, and it has never entered the mainstream of academic studies. However, p

8、eople facilitate the study of figurative language and give spacious room for the study. As is known to all, the traditional approaches to study figures of speech are quite outdated and there many shortcomings in them. So it is necessary to seek new perspectives to update the study. From the study of

9、 figures of speech, there is a very special figure which is different from those figures which have been devotedly studied. The special figure is “oxymoron”. Even through it does not appear frequently in languages as other rhetorical devices, oxymoron stands for another special sort of figurative la

10、nguage. Thus, the author tries to explore oxymoron and its application in some literary works. First of all, this paper will present its definitions and structures, which are also the necessary premise of the study. And then, this paper will give the historical and contemporary study stating from th

11、e aspects of literature. So it gives the historical and subjective basis for the later generations. This paper will study the application of oxymoron in literary works from the literal perspectives, and we can find that the universal signification in language and human cognition may be beyond our cu

12、rrent level. Therefore, great efforts need to be made for the study of oxymoron.Key words: oxymoron; rhetoric; literary; applicationThe Application of Oxymoron in Literary Works. IntroductionGenerally speaking, oxymoron is a special figure of speech, and frequently used in English. Oxymoron derives

13、from Greek “oxusmoros”. Oxus means sharp, and moros means foolish, stupid, and dull. However, the meaning of oxymoron is pointed foolish or sharp foolish. Therefore, its history in language should be very long, and it is a traditional figure of speech. “Oxymoron” firstly appeared in English in 1640,

14、 but only academic scholars and students of rhetoric knew it. Until the 1960s and 1970s, this word appeared frequently in colleges. With the continuous development of language standardization, scholars pay attention to rhetoric of speeches, such as simile, metaphor, personification, and so on. Wheth

15、er in the practice of language or the theory of language, its necessary that people have a further analysis and study about this common and special rhetoric of speech. In the foreign history, with the climax of the English Renaissance, rhetoric in England was processed with the same fervor as in oth

16、er humanist cultures, for the increasing role it played in education. Therefore, oxymoron was a very popular rhetoric device at that time. As we all know, oxymoron achieves special rhetorical effects and plays special roles in literature and physical world. It has been widely applied in literary wor

17、ks and daily communication, especially to create unusual effect or to realize the aim of strong exaggeration, humor, etc. Firstly, it can expose every kind of contradictory phenomenon in the subjective and objective world. Secondly, it can express the person of philosophical thought. Finally, it can

18、 open and enlighten the readers from all-round and multilevel effect. In many literary works, the authors use oxymoron to express contradictory feelings, which give people a deep impression. Therefore, this paper will explore the application of oxymoron in some literary works.II. The Definition and

19、Characteristics of Oxymoron2.1 Definition of the English Oxymoron“Oxymoron” firstly appeared in English in 1640, but only academic scholars and students of rhetoric knew it. Until the 1960s and 1970s, this word appeared frequently in colleges. However, oxymoron is one of the figures of speech firstl

20、y studied by Aristotle. And John Evans quoted from Aristotles Rhetoric and said that “rhetoric relates to common sense and verdicts of the masses, but what oxymoron expresses is neither common nor verdicts of the masses. It is the rhetorical figure, which despises the traditional rhetorical basis.”

21、(84).In Longman Modern English Dictionary, it is defined as a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms are combined to produce an epigrammatic effect. And in Oxford English Dictionary, its definition is that a rhetorical figure by which contradictory or incongruous terms are conjoine

22、d so as to give point to the statement or expression; an expression in its superficial or literal meaning self-contradictory or absurd, but involving a point. A lot of authors also give a definition to oxymoron. 2.2 The Characteristics of OxymoronAs we all know, oxymoron achieves special rhetorical

23、effects and plays special roles in literature and physical world. It has the following characteristics.Firstly, oxymoron has the analysis of the meaning. It can prove various aspects of the world observed from different angles, depict the conflict between the appearance and the essence, and demonstr

24、ate the two opposite features exist in one entity. Secondly, due to oxymoron is an effective rhetoric method employed to show intensive, succinct words, oxymoron has the succinctness and emphases of the language. For instance:The dismal situation waste and wild,A dungeon horrible, on all sides round

25、As one great furnace flamed, yet from those flamesNo light, but rather darkness visible (Paradise Lost, Excerpt, Line 63-64)John Milton used “those flames no light” in Paradise Lost. In this poem, oxymoron expresses the subtle feelings of people and is regarded as contradictory in form but logical a

26、nd illuminating in content. As for “those flames no light”, although it indicates a very complex feelings, oxymoron makes it has terse and lively style. Thirdly, oxymoron has the creativity of the structure. Generally, people use some words which are unified and harmonious to describe something and

27、somebody, instead of using the opposite and contradictory words. Therefore, its creative that oxymoron uses contradictory words to express complex feelings. Some examples are list, such as, painful pleasure, ugly-beautiful, and so on. Last but not least, oxymoronic expressions have the characteristi

28、c of wisdom. People are often employed to bring to light implicitly and vividly the truths in many proverbs in the objective and complicated world. Such as, “a timeless time”, time is fixed and what changes is only how people feel about it. But oxymoron gives the subjective impression and creative s

29、tructure for people under certain circumstances.Above all oxymoron is a symbol of a certain philosophical thought-anything containing two sides, negative and positive, but the two opposite forces can stay harmoniously. III. The Formation of Oxymoron According to the definition of oxymoron, it is a r

30、hetorical figure by which contradictory or incongruous terms are conjoined. Oxymoron possesses a relatively fixed and concrete concept, so it also possesses a relatively fixed structure in form. Because this kind of rhetorical device consists of just two or few terms, the different forms of its stru

31、cture are decided by the different configurations of these terms. From the aspect of structure, oxymoron has two kinds of formation, which respectively are the external structure and the internal structure. 3.1 The External StructureIn foreign study, one famous British rhetorician Walter Nash lists

32、four kinds of common collocations of oxymoron which respectively are adverb + adjective, adjective + noun, adjective + adjective, noun + nouns. And in Chain, Feng Cuihua and Huang Ren also classify oxymoron from the external in the same way, the external structures still increase. () adverb + adjective: idly busy, falsely true, disagreeably pleasant and changelessly changing. From this phrase, we can learn that adverbs are utilized to modify the opposite adjectives, so