What Is Paradox
A paradox is a statement that contradicts itself, or that must be both true and untrue at the same time. However, a key part of paradoxes is that they sound reasonable.
Example:
- Less is more.
- This is the beginning of the end.
- Save money by spending it.
- Here is the rule: Ignore all rules.
- Nobody goes to Murphy’s Bar anymore — it’s too crowded.
If the bar is crowded, then lots of people are going. But if so many people are going, it makes no sense to say “nobody goes” there anymore.
In literary analysis, “paradox” can sometimes have a looser meaning: a person or situation that contains contradictions.
Example:
- A character who is both charming and rude might be referred to as a “paradox” even though in the strict logical sense, there is nothing self-contradictory about a single person combining disparate personality traits.