Literary notes about Juxtaposition (AI summary)
In literature, juxtaposition serves as a powerful stylistic device that places disparate images, ideas, or characters side by side to prompt contrast and create new layers of meaning. Writers employ the term to illustrate both physical and abstract pairings—from the literal placement of objects, such as the grouping of massive astrolabes [1] or sculptures [2], to the more metaphorical pairing of emotions and concepts, as seen in the dramatic blend of tragedy and farce [3] or dark and light [4]. Authors also utilize juxtaposition to sharpen distinctions between character traits and social conditions, thereby provoking the reader’s imagination and critical thought, as evidenced by the ironic positioning of disparate figures [5] and contrasting sentiments in narrative and theory alike [6].
- The fourth and last instrument, and the largest of all, was one consisting as it were of three or four huge astrolabes in juxtaposition
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano - But the juxtaposition of the two shows how nearly the chevet arrangement was completed at that time.
— from A History of Architecture in All Countries, Volume 2, 3rd ed.From the Earliest Times to the Present Day by James Fergusson - In his dramatic efforts tragedy and farce were placed in amazing juxtaposition.
— from Wagner as I Knew Him by Ferdinand Praeger - The tale is a juxtaposition of violent contrasts, an antithesis of darkness and light.
— from A History of French LiteratureShort Histories of the Literatures of the World: II. by Edward Dowden - She simply finds genuine humor and entertainment in the comic juxtaposition of John's mind and the ancient customs and glories of Oxford.
— from The Learned Lady in England, 1650-1760 by Myra Reynolds - That a unit of feeling has nothing in common with a unit of motion becomes more than ever manifest when we bring the two into juxtaposition."
— from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James
