What is Juxtaposition?

Find out what a juxtaposition is, the effect that juxtaposition has on readers, and how you can analyse juxtaposition in any English exam, whether you’re studying for AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1, or preparing for CIE IGCSE Language Paper 1. We also include some helpful literary examples along with our expert analysis.

Written by: James Alsop

Published

14 August 2024

Read time

6 minutes

Contents

What is juxtaposition?

Juxtaposition is a literary device that creates meaning by contrasting two or more things. When words and ideas are juxtaposed, they are placed side by side in order to emphasise the similarities and differences between them. It’s a common technique in poetry, literature, and visual art, but it is also one that we use all the time in everyday language. If you have ever told somebody that they are “making a mountain out of a molehill”, then you have juxtaposed — perhaps even without realising!

Importantly, the words and ideas that are being juxtaposed do not need to be direct opposites, and sometimes the differences can be more subtle. For example, the opposite of an “old dog” is not a “new trick”, but the expression “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” juxtaposes the two concepts to describe how difficult it can be for somebody to adjust to a new way of doing things.

Etymology of the word juxtaposition

The word “juxtaposition” is itself a juxtaposition of different ideas. It originates from the Latin words juxta (“near”; “next to”) and positus (“arrangement”; “place”), so it roughly translates as “to place next to”.

Why do writers use juxtapositions?

Juxtaposition is used in many different ways in English literature: writers can juxtapose words, images, characters, and settings to achieve a whole range of purposes, and the effect of juxtaposition on the reader depends entirely on the ideas that are being contrasted. Sometimes, juxtaposition can be used to create moments of comedy, as in this line from Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett:

“Education had been easy. Learning things had been harder” — Hogfather, Terry Pratchett

Here, Pratchett juxtaposes apparently similar terms in order to make the point that one’s level of education does not always indicate how much they actually know about life.

Elsewhere, juxtaposition can be used to contrast ideas in ways that highlight the themes underlying an entire text. For example:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness” — A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Dickens begins A Tale of Two Cities with a long sentence made up entirely of juxtapositions that parallel life and society in London and Paris around the time of the French Revolution. In doing so, he places the novel’s central theme of social inequality at the front and centre.

Types of juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is a broad “umbrella” term that covers several different literary terms that pair ideas or place them up against one another. These include:

Type of juxtaposition	Definition	Example
Contrast	A type of juxtaposition that compares two things in order to emphasise differences between them	“Parting is such sweet sorrow” — Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare This juxtaposition suggests that although separation between the lovers is painful, it will feel all the sweeter when they reunite
Oxymoron	A figure of speech that juxtaposes two contradictory words or concepts to convey complex emotions, or create humour or irony	Common examples include phrases such as "bittersweet", or “awfully good”
Antithesis	This describes a type of juxtaposition where the terms, characters, or ideas being contrasted are clear and strong opposites	“To be, or not to be, that is the question” — Hamlet, William Shakespeare In this example, Hamlet weighs up the ultimate antithetical terms as he uses the euphemisms of “be” and “not be” to decide whether to live, or to die

Examples of juxtapositions and how to analyse them

Like analysis of other language techniques, it is always important to comment on the effects of the juxtapositions you find in your texts, not simply to spot them. Consider the types of meaning that writers are trying to convey when they use the juxtaposition, and think about how contrasting terms or ideas might relate to the text as a whole.

Juxtaposition

Analysis

The younger generation and the older generation in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

Throughout the play, Priestley juxtaposes the “hard-headed” capitalist views of the older generation (embodied by characters such as Mr and Mrs Birling) with the more socially-conscious attitudes of Sheila and Eric, who represent the younger generation
The contrasts are particularly apparent in the play’s final act, where the older characters refuse to learn the Inspector’s lesson of social responsibility, while Sheila and Eric recognise their previous mistakes and take responsibility for their parts in Eva Smith’s death: “Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide”
By juxtaposing the differing attitudes of the two generations, Priestley creates a sense of hope that society will change for the better once the “young ones” eventually take charge

“Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this son of York” — Richard III, William Shakespeare

These lines open the play, and set the scene by juxtaposing life in England before Henry VI’s death with life after Edward IV became king. Shakespeare uses the juxtaposition in conjunction with figurative language (metaphors): the “winter of our discontent” refers to a period of death and instability, while Richard’s description of “glorious summer” emphasises England’s newfound sense of peace and prosperity.

What is Juxtaposition?

What is juxtaposition?

Etymology of the word juxtaposition

Why do writers use juxtapositions?

Types of juxtaposition

Examples of juxtapositions and how to analyse them

Further reading

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Author: James Alsop

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