All 8 Uses of
irony
in
The Things They Carried
- The ironies went beyond him.
Chpt 10ironies = things that are very different than what might be expected
- "Wasted in the waste," he said. "... You got to admit, it's pure world-class irony."
Chpt 17 *irony = an amusing coincidence
- When someone died, it wasn't quite dying, because in a curious way it seemed scripted, and because they had their lines mostly memorized, irony mixed with tragedy, and because they called it by other names, as if to encyst and destroy the reality of death itself.†
Chpt 1
- No doubt Max would've liked it, the irony in particular, but Max had become a pure idea, which was its own irony.†
Chpt 15
- No doubt Max would've liked it, the irony in particular, but Max had become a pure idea, which was its own irony.†
Chpt 15
- The letter covered seventeen handwritten pages, its tone jumping from self-pity to anger to irony to guilt to a kind of feigned indifference.†
Chpt 16
- He coughed and shook his head and said, "Man, talk about irony.†
Chpt 17
- Eating shit-it's your classic irony.†
Chpt 17
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.
The expression ironic smile, generally references someone smiling 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)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) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less commonly, Socratic irony is where someone pretends ignorance to get another to think through a problem. This is named after the Socratic method of teaching.
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.