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Conceit Paradoxical

Metaphysics
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A conceit deliberately structured around paradox or logical contradiction, requiring readers to accept impossible logical relationships that express metaphysical truths beyond rational categories. The paradox itself is the revelation.

Detailed Definition
Paradoxical conceits suggest that the deepest truths cannot be expressed in rational language, that poetry's unique capacity to hold contradictions simultaneously makes it the appropriate vehicle for metaphysical revelation. By embracing paradox rather than resolving it, such conceits gesture toward mysteries beyond human understanding.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “The Good-Morrow” paradoxically claims lovers awaken to true life only after childish pastimes; Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” paradoxically asserts identity through anonymity; George Herbert’s “The Pulley” paradoxically explains that God withholds rest to give humans purpose; T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets” paradoxically states “In my end is my beginning”; Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” paradoxically celebrates death as performance; Wallace Stevens’ “The Snow Man” paradoxically demands emptiness to see fullness.
Additional Notes
Conceit Paradoxical delights in apparent absurdities that reveal deeper coherence—Herbert’s “The Temper” claims God’s “sweetening” of soul requires bitter trials, using paradox to reconcile suffering with divine love.
Also Known As
Contradictory Conceit Self-Subverting Metaphor Apparent Absurdity
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