 |
Juxtaposing two opposing statements (=antithesis)
in such a way as to prove the one from the other. More generally, a composition
of opposites (=antitheton). |
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Like
other Figures of Opposition,
contrarium can at times seem to emphasize a lexical pattern and sometimes
the semantic or argumentative content. The Ad Herennium author
refers to contrarium as a figure of diction (perhaps because of the opposition
and frequent parallelism of such statements when expressed concisely).
However, as Quintilian notes
, contrarium is more properly understood as a method of argumentation
(= Topic of Invention: Contraries).
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| Examples
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Are we afraid
to fight those on the plains whom we have hurled down from the hills?
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| Related
Figures |
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| Related
Topics of Invention |
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- Contraries and Contradictions
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| See
Also |
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Sources: |
Ad Herennium
4.17.25-26 |
