The Tension of ParadoxPamela Finnegan provides a detailed criticism of a major novel written by one of Chiles leading literary figures. She analyzes the symbolism and the use of language in The Obscene Bird of Night, showing that the novels 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 novels world is symptomatic of language gone stale, and