Juxtaposition is
the act of placing two entities in close proximity to each other. To lose two
juxtaposed teeth is to lose two teeth that were right next to each other. Juxta, a latin root word, means to be close
to, or adjoining. The suffix juxta is often used more medical terms, such as juxtaglomerular, which always denotes
entities that are right next to each other. Position comes from the French word
of the same spelling, the connotation meaning to take a stance, or lay down a
thesis. In today’s speech and writing, the use of the word juxtaposition is used
to describe a sharp contrast between two things. By placing two positions,
each with their own identity in close proximity to each other, their
defining characteristics and differences stand out. Interestingly enough, juxta
is also the root for the word joust, the medieval sport where two men on
horseback hurdle towards each other with lances with the intent of knocking
each other off their horses. Jostle is
another word that shares the same root, meaning the situation of being crammed
in tightly together, or a rough shake or push when two things get too close to
each other. It seems from the imagery that comes to mind, then, that the
proximity implied in the root juxta is one of violence and opposition. In this
sense, it’s no wonder that juxtaposition is used to describe a comparison of
sorts.
The first uses of the word juxtaposition to denote a sharp contrast or
comparison seem to first appear in the late 19th century, by men
such as Edward Freeman to describe the contrast between words and by Max Muller
to describe the differences between languages.
Since architects often use contrasting materials in designs, the use of
the word juxtaposition in professional discourse is ubiquitous. For example,
Daniel Liebeskind’s addition to the Royal Ontario Museuem juxtaposes the more
traditional building forms that inhabit Bloor street. However, the word has potential to be abused
or overused when it is used to merely suggest a difference between two things. Instead,
it should be used to describe two things that have been deliberately placed
next to each other for the specific purpose of contrast or comparison. Literature
also uses juxtaposition quite frequently. Contrasting words, sentences, and
chapters are placed next to each other to imply a meaning. Don DeLillo has said,
“I like the construction of sentences and the juxtaposition of words-not
just how they sound or what they mean, but even what they look like”. In
the fine arts, juxtaposition was espescially popular in surrealist painting,
where the combination of seemingly unrelated objects was commonplace. In
Magritte’s painting, “The son of man” for example, a man stands in the centre
of the frame with an apple directly in front of his face. Aesthetically, the
man’s formal attire and the constructed landscape contained in the painting
contrast the bright colour and natural form of the apple. That is to say, there
is a juxtaposition between the man made and the natural, as well as the bleak
and the bright.
Sources
Oxford University Press, "Oxford English Dictionary". Last Modified 2012. Accessed November 18th, 2012. http://www.oed.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/view/Entry/102290?redirectedFrom=Juxtaposition#eid
Oxford University Press, "Oxford Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art". Last Modified 2012. Accessed November 18th, 2012 http://www.oxfordreference.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100543634?rskey=cchxi8&result=3&q=Juxtaposition
Famous Quotes, "Don Delillo". Last Modified 2012. Accessed November 18th, 2012 http://www.famousquotes.com/author/don-delillo
Robertson’s Words
for a Modern Age: A Dictionary of English Vocabulary Words Derived Primarily
from Latin and Greek Word Families, Presented Individually and in Family Units. Last Modified 2010. Accessed November 18th, 2012.
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