E-Learning Assignment 21

Types of Irony

There are many ways to play with irony. This is great because it brings added layers and texture to a story. Irony is predominantly defined within three main categories: dramatic irony, situational irony, and verbal irony. Let's have some fun with each in these examples of irony.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony is used when the audience knows more about what's going on than the characters. This creates suspense, or humor, as the audience waits to see if the characters will come to understand what's really happening. Dramatic irony heightens the audience's anticipation, hopes, or fears, but it can also be used for comedic effect.

Have you ever read a novel or watched a play or movie where the narrator was omniscient (knew what every character was thinking and feeling)? These are great setups for dramatic irony.

A woman thinks her boyfriend is about to break up with her. He hasn't been himself lately, acting distracted and distant. We know he bought her an engagement ring and is nervous she won't say yes. He calls her one afternoon and simply says, "I need to see you. Meet me at Columbus Square at six o'clock." She's sure he's going to break up with her. But when she arrives, he's set up a beautiful proposal with a string quartet, dozens of roses, and a huge sparkler of a diamond.

Situational Irony

This type of irony occurs when something happens that is completely different from what was expected. Usually, these instances incorporate some type of contradiction and a certain level of shock.

• An ambulance driver speeds to the scene of a road accident. The victim isn't badly hurt until the ambulance driver whips around a corner and runs over the victim's legs, not realizing she'd crawled to the center of the road. 

Verbal Irony

This type of irony comes to play when a speaker says one thing, but means another.

That sounds a lot like sarcasm, doesn't it? Let's say we were reading about a character who was afraid of heights. One day, her boyfriend surprises her with two tickets for a hot air balloon ride. She replies with, "Wow, I can't wait!" Would you think that's verbal irony or sarcasm? It's actually verbal irony. This form of irony occurs when a character says one thing, but means another. Sarcasm comes into play when a witty attack or somewhat derogatory statement is made.

Here are two examples of verbal irony and two examples of sarcasm:

• A writer is working on his manuscript, and it's a comedy. The days have been fraught with rain and clouds, bringing down his mood and hampering his ability to craft witty scenes. As he opens his blinds one morning, he sees the dark clouds outside again and says, "Great. Another rainy day. How wonderful."

• A woman has a Saint Bernard with a massive drooling problem. She tries to keep him off the sofa, but he loves pretending he's a lap dog. One night, he trots over to her and places a gigantic paw on her lap. He's looking at her with those sad brown eyes. "All right," she says. "You know how I just love dog drool on my sofa."

• In the episode of Friends where the friends go to London for Ross and Emily's wedding, Chandler says, "I'm so glad we're having this rehearsal dinner. You know, I so rarely get to practice my meals before I eat them."

• A snobbish woman - who perceives moonstone to be a poor man's gemstone - is given a pair of moonstone earrings by her fiancé. When she opens the box, she says, "Thank you, honey. I just love moonstones. They're so... simple."

The first two examples are verbal irony, the second two are sarcasm. 

Read the various texts. Interpret the way that the irony in the excerpts adds to the scene. 

Example:

A novel's heroine visits her favorite café every day from 11am to 1pm to work on her manuscript. Her brother's best friend knows this and is trying to find a way to ask her out on a date.The day he gets up the courage to go to the café she's not there. Where is she? The reader knows she's been taken ill, he does not. 

Answer: Because the reader is aware that the young woman is ill, and the gentleman does not. A bit of suspense is added to the story as the reader waits to see how roadblock to the relationship will play out.

**Note** Make sure you use complete sentences in your answers just as the example did.