Download or read book The Tension of Paradox written by Pamela May Finnegan and published by Ohio University Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pamela Finnegan provides a detailed criticism of a major novel written by one of Chile's leading literary figures. She analyzes the symbolism and the use of language in The Obscene Bird of Night, showing that the novel's world becomes an icon characterized by entropy, parody, and materiality. Her study concludes that all linguistic ordering fictionalizes, that the lack of spirituality within the novel's world is symptomatic of language gone stale, and that blindness to this fact leads to dogma or solipsism, each counter-productive to communication and human endeavor. To revive the linguistic system, she argues, we must revive the creative power of language.