Patrick Hughes

Oxymoron is itself an oxymoron. In ancient Greek oxus means ‘sharp’ and morus means ‘dull’, thus an oxymoron is a ‘sharp dullness’, a foolish bit of wisdom. More on Oxymoron introduces the comic absurdity of everyday language and beguiles the reader with the power and wit inherent in contradiction and paradox. The reader will encounter people who are born old, are the wisest fools, keep open secrets, do things accidentally on purpose, William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Douglas Hofstadter are among the masters of contradiction and hidden truths here. Seventy pictures are included.

An anthology of nonsensical sense and sensible nonsense, a serious book about jokes, but not a solemn one. On the contrary it is dead funny.

  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • First published by: Penguin Books, USA 1983 and Jonathan Cape Ltd, UK 1984
  • ISBN: 978-0-224-02246-0

This book is out of print but can be purchased from amazon.co.uk or at abebooks.co.uk