Why do people find it hard to define irony?
It’s a literary device that highlights the incongruity (a fancy word for ‘difference’) between one’s expectation for a situation, and the reality. Part of the reason people find it hard to give a definition of irony is because of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 hit song ‘ Ironic ‘.
What are the different types of irony in literature?
Irony is a storytelling tool used to create contrast between how things seem and how they really are beneath the surface. The term “ironic” comes from the Latin word ironia, which means “feigned ignorance.” The three main types of irony used in literature are dramatic, situational, and verbal.
How is irony used as a stylistic device?
Often irony is used to suggest the stark contrast of the literal meaning being put forth. Irony spices up a literary work by adding unexpected twists and revealing a deeper layer of significance. Not by the words themselves, but by the situation and the context in which they are placed.
What is the meaning of irony in drama?
b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play — called also dramatic irony, tragic irony.
Which is an obstacle to a simple definition of irony?
The principal obstacle in the way of a simple definition of irony is the fact that irony is not a simple phenomenon. . . . We have now presented, as basic features for all irony, (iii) the comic effect of this unawareness of a contrasting appearance and reality.
What’s the difference between irony and verbal sarcasm?
Irony is often mistaken for sarcasm. Sarcasm is actually a form of verbal irony, but sarcasm is intentionally insulting. When you say, “Oh, great” after your drink has spilled all over your expensive new clothes, you don’t actually mean that the incident is positive.
Is there a simple definition of rhetorical irony?
But in truth, there’s nothing at all simple about the rhetorical concept of irony. As J.A. Cuddon says in A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Basil Blackwell, 1979), irony “eludes definition,” and “this elusiveness is one of the main reasons why it is a source of so much fascinated inquiry and speculation.”
Which is the best definition of verbal irony?
Verbal irony sets forth a contrast between what is literally said and what is actually meant. In dramatic irony, the state of the action or what is happening as far as what the reader or viewer knows is the reverse of what the players or characters suppose it to be.