All 5 Uses
irony
in
Fast Food Nation
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- One of the ironies of America's fast food industry is that a business so dedicated to conformity was founded by iconoclasts and self-made men, by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion.†
p. 5.9 *
- The great irony, of course, is that Disney's suburban, corporate world of Tomorrow would soon become the Anaheim of Today.†
p. 39.9
- Calling any of these flavors "natural" requires a flexible attitude toward the English language and a fair amount of irony.†
p. 127.4
- The flavorists with whom I spoke were charming, cosmopolitan, and ironic.†
p. 127.7
- In one of the morning's first speeches, an executive hailed the restaurant industry's record profits the previous year, adding without irony, "As if things weren't good enough, consumers also dropped all pretense of wanting healthy food."†
p. 237.7
Definitions:
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(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 sarcasmThis is sometimes referred to as "verbal irony." Typically, the speaker says one thing but means the opposite, and the tone of voice or the context of the situation makes the true, contradictory meaning clear.
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not 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, as in Romeo and JulietAll forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem.
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(4)
(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.