Irony
Irony is the name given to an effect of meaning created when one thing is said or written but another – sometimes the exact opposite – thing is meant. In speech this effect is created by tone of voice in writing by carefully chosen lexis. The study of such meaning falls within the area known as pragmatics. Sarcasm is a common form of spoken irony intended to mock or hurt. Dramatic irony is used in drama, mainly, to engage the audience more closely with the text. It occurs when the audience are aware of more than a character on the stage – rather like in children’s pantomimes, when the audience want to shout out to Jack to watch out for the giant who is behind him but when Jack turns around, the giant has disappeared. Literary irony occurs when a writer says one thing that the reader is aware of an ‘ironic gap’ existing between the literal meaning and what is intended to be meant.
