Placing two contrasting elements side by side so the differences between them become sharp and meaningful.
Juxtaposition is the deliberate placement of two things near each other to highlight their differences, create tension, or reveal something neither could show alone. It can work at any scale - two words, two characters, two scenes, or two entire storylines. When you put wealth next to poverty, innocence next to experience, or beauty next to decay, the contrast does the talking. The reader does not need to be told that the gap between them matters; they can feel it.
Juxtaposition is one of the most versatile tools in your writing kit. It can create irony, deepen themes, develop characters, build mood, and generate tension, all without telling the reader anything directly. By simply placing two contrasting elements together and letting the reader draw conclusions, you create a more active, engaged reading experience. It is showing rather than telling at its most elegant.
The entire novel is built on juxtaposition, starting with its famous opening: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' London and Paris, wealth and poverty, love and hatred are contrasted throughout.
The film juxtaposes the Kim family's semi-basement apartment with the Park family's modernist mansion. Every visual detail - light, space, elevation - reinforces the contrast in wealth and power.
Fitzgerald juxtaposes Gatsby's lavish parties with the valley of ashes, East Egg's old money with West Egg's new money, and Gatsby's romantic dreams with the sordid reality beneath them.
Trust the reader to notice the juxtaposition. You do not need to follow a description of a mansion with 'Meanwhile, just across town, poverty reigned.' Just show both. The contrast speaks for itself.
Random contrast is not juxtaposition - it is just two unrelated things near each other. The elements you place together should create meaning through their contrast, not just be different.
Rich and poor, light and dark, good and evil are valid but predictable. The most interesting juxtapositions are unexpected - two things that seem similar but are profoundly different, or two things that should be different but are eerily alike.
Write two short scenes of 200 words each that take place in the same city on the same night. In one, a character celebrates the best moment of their life. In the other, a character faces the worst. Do not connect the characters or scenes in any way. Simply place them next to each other and let the contrast between joy and despair create meaning on its own.