Question

Cleanth Brooks's definition of 'paradox' in poetry foregrounds the following qualities:

• A. Wonder and irony
• B. Contradiction and qualification
• C. Piety and plurality
• D. Omniscience and death of the author

Hint:

Remember: For Cleanth Brooks, paradox is not ornamental but essential. Poetry unites contradictions to reveal deeper truth.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B

Step 1: Recall Brooks's concept of paradox
Cleanth Brooks, in his influential work The Well Wrought Urn (1947), argued that paradox is the language of poetry. For him, poetry often communicates truths by combining apparently contradictory statements, creating a unity of opposites.

Step 2: Identify the qualities
- Wonder and irony (A): Paradox shocks the reader into wonder, while irony sharpens and complicates meaning. Both are central effects of paradox in poetry.
- Contradiction and qualification (B): Paradox is built upon contradiction (bringing together opposites) and qualification (limiting or reshaping literal meaning).
- Piety and plurality (C): Not part of Brooks's definition; these are more theological/philosophical terms.
- Omniscience and death of the author (D): Associated with poststructuralist/Barthesian theory, not Brooks's New Criticism.

Step 3: Conclusion
Hence, Brooks emphasizes that poetry's truth often rests in paradoxes that combine wonder, irony, contradiction, and qualification. \[ \boxed{\text{Correct qualities: (A) Wonder and irony, (B) Contradiction and qualification}} \]