A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense, but which, on reflection, reveals a truth.
In White Nights
I already find myself obliged to celebrate the anniversary of my sensations, the anniversary of what was once so dear and, in truth, never happened.
“Celebrating the anniversary of what never happened” seems absurd and states a truth: he keeps the dates of imagined sensations. The contradiction shows that even his memory is made of reverie.
Second Night: The Dreamer and Nastenka's Story, the Dreamer
I love you because you did not fall in love with me.
Third and Fourth Nights and the Morning: The wait and the outcome, Nastenka
Subscription
The explanation of each passage, in every device and in every work, comes with a subscription.