Difference between revisions of "Irony"

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'''Irony''' is commonly used in U.S. English to refer to a type of rhetoric whereby a statement or assertion is made with the intention to put across the opposite meaning. E.g. "Oh I ''really'' like your coat." In British English this is more commonly referred to as [[sarcasm]].
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Irony is an implied discrepancy between what is said or done and what is meant or expected to happen.
  
In British English, ''irony'' refers to an action or occurrence that is incongruous or amusingly unexpected. An example of this definition of ''irony'' might be a boxer betting his life savings on a fight he expects to lose, and then accidentally winning the fight.
 
  
Something made of, or largely composed of, [[iron]] can be described as irony.
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The term is is commonly used in U.S. English to refer to a type of rhetoric whereby a statement or assertion is made with the intention to put across the opposite meaning. E.g. "Oh I ''really'' like your coat." In British English this is more commonly referred to as [[sarcasm]].  Whether a particular statement is construed as irony or sarcasm can often be a matter of opinion.  The Sarcasm Society <ref> http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/howtorecognizeirony/</ref> offers the following distinction:
[[Category:Chemistry]]
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:'''Sarcasm ''' can be illustrated by the speaker saying, "I appreciate your help.", when no help was provided to the speaker. However, when the speaker says speaker says, "It was a bit cold.", after losing a leg due to frost bite, this understatement can be construed as '''irony'''. 
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It is received wisdom in Britain that irony is not well understood in the U.S. <ref> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3433375.stm </ref> <ref> http://www.humor-and-laughing.com/50436.php</ref>. However the re-election of George W.Bush has convinced many in the U.K. that this is simply not true. <ref> Quote: Many sources for this, but see, for example: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/political_wrap/jan-june05/sb_5-6.html. "The irony is George Bush won reelection in November in spite of his economic record. Tony Blair probably won reelection because of his economic record. "</ref>
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It might be useful to distinguish three kinds of irony <ref> definition adapted from: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/irony.html</ref>:
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'''Verbal irony''', when an author says one thing and means something else. This is sometimes called 'Socratic Irony' and is used by teachers pretending to be foolish or ignorant, to expose the ignorance of another.
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'''Dramatic irony''', when an audience perceives something that a character in literature does not know. The effect can be tragic, such as in 'Romeo & Juliet', where the fate of the characters is sealed at the start of the play, or comedic, such as in 'Twelfth Night' where Malvolio is duped by Maria and Toby. Such irony can work in reverse, where some characters in drama understand their actions, but the audience is duped into thinking something else. Such is the situation in The Village, or The Sixth Sense.
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'''Irony of situation''', a discrepency between the expected result and actual results. An example of this definition of ''irony'' might be a boxer betting his life savings on a fight he expects to lose, and then accidentally winning the fight.
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The following statement which appeared in the original version article can also be construed as irony:
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"Something made of, or largely composed of, [[iron]] can be described as ''irony''.
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<nowiki>[[Category:Chemistry]]</nowiki>"
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===references===
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<references/>

Revision as of 08:09, April 27, 2007

Irony is an implied discrepancy between what is said or done and what is meant or expected to happen.


The term is is commonly used in U.S. English to refer to a type of rhetoric whereby a statement or assertion is made with the intention to put across the opposite meaning. E.g. "Oh I really like your coat." In British English this is more commonly referred to as sarcasm. Whether a particular statement is construed as irony or sarcasm can often be a matter of opinion. The Sarcasm Society [1] offers the following distinction:

Sarcasm can be illustrated by the speaker saying, "I appreciate your help.", when no help was provided to the speaker. However, when the speaker says speaker says, "It was a bit cold.", after losing a leg due to frost bite, this understatement can be construed as irony.


It is received wisdom in Britain that irony is not well understood in the U.S. [2] [3]. However the re-election of George W.Bush has convinced many in the U.K. that this is simply not true. [4]


It might be useful to distinguish three kinds of irony [5]:

Verbal irony, when an author says one thing and means something else. This is sometimes called 'Socratic Irony' and is used by teachers pretending to be foolish or ignorant, to expose the ignorance of another.

Dramatic irony, when an audience perceives something that a character in literature does not know. The effect can be tragic, such as in 'Romeo & Juliet', where the fate of the characters is sealed at the start of the play, or comedic, such as in 'Twelfth Night' where Malvolio is duped by Maria and Toby. Such irony can work in reverse, where some characters in drama understand their actions, but the audience is duped into thinking something else. Such is the situation in The Village, or The Sixth Sense.

Irony of situation, a discrepency between the expected result and actual results. An example of this definition of irony might be a boxer betting his life savings on a fight he expects to lose, and then accidentally winning the fight.


The following statement which appeared in the original version article can also be construed as irony:

"Something made of, or largely composed of, iron can be described as irony. [[Category:Chemistry]]"


references

  1. http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/howtorecognizeirony/
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3433375.stm
  3. http://www.humor-and-laughing.com/50436.php
  4. Quote: Many sources for this, but see, for example: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/political_wrap/jan-june05/sb_5-6.html. "The irony is George Bush won reelection in November in spite of his economic record. Tony Blair probably won reelection because of his economic record. "
  5. definition adapted from: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/irony.html