All 21 Uses of
irony
in
Sophie's World
- We are only hapless victims of that irony.
Chpt 26 *irony = when the meaning of a situation is understood by one person, but not by another
- When he was twenty-seven he took his master's degree with the dissertation 'On the Concept of Irony.'
Chpt 27 *irony = when what happens is very different than what might be expected
- He [Kierkegaard] had a sharp pen and a bitter sense of irony. For example, he could say things like 'the crowd is the untruth,' or 'the truth is always in the minority,' and that most people had a superficial approach to life.
Chpt 27irony = recognizing that what happens is often different than what might be expected
- Your wretched irony again!
Chpt 28irony = when what happens is very different than what might be expected
- Double, Sophie, that was double irony.
Chpt 28
- Oh, stop all that irony!
Chpt 29
- Are you being ironic now?
Chpt 30 *ironic = saying one thing, while meaning the opposite
- It's he who is ironic, not me.
Chpt 30
- There's a touch of irony about that too.
Chpt 30irony = when what happens is very different than what might be expected
- To tell you the truth it was rather ironic, because we were already in that book.
Chpt 31
- But flying across the centuries would have been a hefty job even for a very ironic goose.
Chpt 31
- Love, your own witch-daughter, Queen of the Mirror and the Highest Protector of Irony.
Chpt 33
- They were holding signs saying: WELCOME HOME, DAD — HILDE IS WAITING IN THE GARDEN — IRONY LIVES.
Chpt 33
Uses with a meaning too rare to warrant foucs:
- We call this Socratic irony.
Chpt 7irony = when someone pretends to understand less than they understand
- He would intervene in the story and address ironic comments to the reader
Chpt 25ironic = when a writer reminds the reader that the writer is manipulating the fictional universe
- This form of disillusion is called 'romantic irony.'
Chpt 25
- Was that romantic irony?
Chpt 26 *
- In this work he did battle with Romantic irony and the Romantics' uncommitted play with illusion.
Chpt 27
- He posited 'Socratic irony' in contrast.
Chpt 27irony = when someone pretends to know less than they do
- Even though Socrates had made use of irony to great effect, it had the purpose of eliciting the fundamental truths about life.
Chpt 27irony = Socratic irony: where a questioner acts as though they lack understanding of something and question someone else to expose inconsistencies in logic
- Although that was another example of his rather sickly Romantic irony.
Chpt 27irony = when a writer reminds the reader that the writer is manipulating the fictional universe
Definitions:
-
(1)
(irony as in: situational irony) when what happens is very different than what might be expected; or when things are together that seem like they don't belong together -- especially when amusing or an entertaining coincidenceThis is sometimes referred to as "situational irony." The term is especially appropriate when actions have consequences opposite to those intended.
Situational irony can be poignant, humorous, or unusual in juxtaposition. It can be subtle. For example, a novel can bring to mind a famous work of literature that leads the reader expect a certain pattern. Then the writer can turn the pattern on its head.
The expression ironic smile, generally references someone who is smiling (or often smiles) at situational irony.
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they might seem. -
(2)
(irony as in: verbal irony) saying one thing, while meaning the opposite or something else -- usually as humor or sarcasm
(With this type of irony, it's not uncommon for the words to say one thing while the tone-of-voice and/or context says another.)This is sometimes referred to as "verbal irony."
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they might seem. -
(3)
(irony as in: dramatic irony) when the meaning of a situation is understood by one person, but not by another -- especially when a reader or audience knows what characters of a story do not (such as in the play, Romeo and Juliet)A closely associated, but less common, concept is called Socratic irony. This is the situation where a questioner acts as though they lack understanding of something and question someone else to expose inconsistencies in logic. This is named after the Socratic method of teaching.
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem. -
(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Less commonly, Socratic irony is where someone pretends ignorance to get another to think through a problem.
Less commonly still, some also refer to romantic irony as when an author reminds the audience that the fictional words is the author's creation and will play out as the author desires.