What is Irony ?

Irony is…

• A disconnect

between expectations and reality:

– Between what is said and what is meant– Between what is said and what is meant

– Between what is expected and what really

happens

– Between what appears to be true and what

actually is true.

Verbal Irony

In verbal irony,

there is a conflict

between what is

“The instructions were as clear as mud.”

“This is a fine mess”

“A patriot must always be ready between what is

said and what is

meant.

to defend his country

against his government.” -Edward Abbey

”He was as pleasant and

relaxed as a coiled rattlesnake”

-Kurt Vonnegut

from Breakfast of Champions

“This worthy’s name was Hubert. . .”

Chaucer in The General Prologue

speaking of the friar-

an extremely corrupt member of the clergy.

Chaucer calls him “worthy”

but really he is completely

unworthy of his holy position.

One commonly found

example of verbal irony is the

ever present ironic t-shirt.

Sometimes verbal irony is

unintentional…

Verbal irony in Jane Austen.

• Ex. The first sentence of Pride and Prejudice:

• “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”

• Actually, it is the female characters who are searching for husbands-particularly husbands with money.

Situational Irony

Situational irony

is when

what actually what actually happens

is different

from what

you expect to happen.

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Television shows like “The Simpsons” and

“Family Guy” use situational irony as comedy.

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Dramatic Irony

• Dramatic irony

occurs when the

reader (or audience)

knows something knows something

that the character

does not.

Dramatic Irony in Shrek

• In this scene of

Shrek, the audience

knows that Princess

Fiona is an ogre, but

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Fiona is an ogre, but

Shrek does not.

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Dramatic Irony in Tragedy is often

called “tragic irony”

Romeo poisons himself when he believes Juliet is dead

We know she is only sleeping.

Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony makes you want to stop Romeo from taking the poison.

Dramatic irony in a play draws the audience into the action.