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From Publishers Weekly
Coining the titular word to describe quotations that contain seemingly self-contradictory elements, psychologist and amateur wordsmith Grothe (Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You) gathers hundreds of examples—ancient, modern and everything in between—of such sayings. From Confucius’s "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s own ignorance" to Yogi Berra’s "Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded" to Adrienne Rich’s "Marriage is lonelier than solitude," these bon mots offer pithy insights and sometimes clever advice. Grothe’s 14 chapters group the quotations by theme; in "Sex, Love, and Romance," for example, Louise Colet advises readers to "Doubt the man who swears to his devotion," while in "Oxymoronic Insults (and a Few Compliments)," Henry James reflects that George Eliot is "magnificently ugly…. in this vast ugliness resides a most powerful beauty which, in a very few minutes, steals forth and charms the mind." Potentially useful to public speakers and certainly bound to amuse word mavens, Grothe’s collection is good clean fun—with a bit of an edge: the last section offers "Inadvertent Oxymoronica," in which George W. Bush is quoted as saying "One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above that which is expected."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Grothe is an inveterate collector of words and phrases. He is especially fond of paradoxical sayings, "ideas stood on their heads." He has been gathering such seemingly contradictory quotations as Carrie Fisher's "Instant gratification takes too long" or Yogi Berra's pithy "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded" for years. For him, these sayings are like oxymorons but with more depth. Thus, he coined the term, "Oxymoronica, n.; A compilation of self-contradictory terms, phrases, or quotations; examples of oxymoronica appear illogical or nonsensical at first, but upon reflection, make a good deal of sense and are often profoundly true." This book is an assemblage of his collection divided into 14 chapters ranging widely in subject and author from wit and wisdom through love and sex to insults, written by Ovid through Oscar Wilde to George W. Bush, with many thought-provoking stops in between. The collection can be dipped into frequently and offers much to think about upon first, second, or third readings. It will be useful for public speakers, debate classes, English assignments, and essays. There is an index of authors and broad topics, though finding a specific quote might prove challenging. There's even a Web site to submit new ideas or to join a discussion with like-minded devotees. The whole collection might be summed up by Berra, "I didn't say everything I said." Lots of fun and much to ponder.–Susan H. Woodcock, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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4.0 out of 5 stars
If you love words...,
By Tony Chu (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths (Hardcover)
If you are a lover of words and wordplay - e.g. you do cryptic crosswords and like oxymorons - then you will love this book. These are not oxymorons as such - but rather these are statements that contain an internally contradictory flavour.
The author has done a LOT of research compiling this collection - and the quality of the oxymoronic statements he presents ranges from silly to clever to "I've-got-to-write-that-down-and-remember-it." One of my favourites - "television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your house" - David Frost and "Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful,
By
This review is from: Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths (Hardcover)
The book contains a wide selection of paradoxical expressions arranged in 14 different sections from sex, love and romance, to politics, insults, insights from world literature, etc.
Here are few examples: The lage F.W.H. Myers used to tell how he asked a man at a dinner table what he thought would happen to him when he died. The man tried to ignore the question, but, on being pressured, replied: "Oh well, I suppose I shall inherit eternal bliss, but I wish you wouldn't talk abut such unpleasant subjects." * * * I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. * * * Last month I blew $5,000 on a reincarnation seminar. I figured, hey, you only live once. * * * We sleep in separate rooms, we have dinner apart, we take separate vacations. We're doing everything we can to keep our marriage together. * * * Beware! To touch these wires is instant death. Anyone found doing so will be prosecuted.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun,
By A Customer
This review is from: Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths (Hardcover)
Our book club is an eclectic bunch if nothing else. And while we usually stick with some bestseller like ANGELS & DEMONS or McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, we do occasionally veer off the beaten path and try something . . . different. Enter OXYMORONICA. What a wonderful book this turned out to be! VERY funny and with quotes you'll want to memorize just to be able to throw them around at parties. If you liked books such as EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES, then you'll like this one.
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