What is the definition of irony in literature?

What is the definition of irony in literature?

What Is Irony? The definition of irony as a literary device is a situation in which there is a contrast between expectation and reality. For example, the difference between what something appears to mean versus its literal meaning.

What is the difference between irony and sarcasm?

The key difference between irony and sarcasm is that sarcasm characterizes someone’s speech. Irony can additionally describe situations or circumstances. There are some cases in which someone could say something that is considered both ironic and sarcastic, but sarcasm is not a literary device.

How is irony used in Pride and Prejudice?

Austen opens Pride and Prejudice with a famous line implying that men are the ones who hunt for a wife; however, she makes it clear throughout the narrative that it is actually the other way around. Situational irony. This is at play when an expected outcome is subverted.

When does Jonathan Swift use the word irony?

The use of words to mean something very different from what they appear on the surface to mean. Jonathan Swift uses irony in “ A Modest Proposal ” when he suggests the eating of babies as a solution to overpopulation and starvation in Ireland.

When is irony the same as coincidence and bad luck?

When the truth contradicts an expected outcome, it’s situational irony — also known as “the irony of events.” Again, just to clarify, irony is not the same as “coincidence” and “bad luck.”. If you buy a new car and then accidentally drive it into a tree, that is both coincidence and bad luck.

When does irony become a stream of consciousness?

— Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 27 June 2021 The irony of the moment: As originally planned, Black was pre-taping a big musical number that involved a lot of physicality. — NBC News, 25 June 2021 Her latest, accordingly, comes on in a swirl of internet age irony and remove: less stream of consciousness than a series of small, heady whirlpools.