As a literary device, irony is a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning. It can also be a difference between what might be expected to happen a...
Examples of irony: “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles – Oedipus tries to avoid his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother, but his actions actually lead him to fulfill the prophecy, creating situational irony. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson – Dr. Jekyll tries...
Irony is typically difficult to clearly explain, especially as a literary device, since part of the point of its use is to be unclear. According to the famous definition of irony given by Henry Watson Fowler in “The King’s English,” irony occurs when “...the surface meaning and the ...
Examples of Irony There are three kinds of irony, one of which (dramatic irony) we discussed earlier: Dramatic irony: InRomeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet isn’t dead, but asleep. Romeo, who doesn’t know, kills himself. Situational irony: In the animated filmRatatouille,it’...
The Changeling: Irony 2 key examples Next Logos Definition of Irony Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definitionAct...
Explore Literary Devices: Definitions & Examples. Learn techniques writers use to convey messages, create effects, and evoke emotions in readers.
Alliteration:押头韵repetition of the initial sounds(不一定是首字母) Allegory:寓言a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Allusion:典故a reference in a literary work to person, place etc. often to well-known characters or events. Archetype:原型 Irony:反讽intended mean...
Literary techniques, however, are not universal or necessary in the sense that not all works contain instances of them. Simile and irony are examples of literary techniques. While many poems contain similes, not all do. Simile, therefore, is a literary technique instead of a literary element. ...
One of the finest examples of dramatic irony occurs in Shakespeare’s inMacbeth.Macbeth has encountered three witches who tell him that he will be king someday. He believes them because they have told him other things that are, in fact, true. When he arrives at the king’s court he is...
and through this we will learn about the devices of irony, paradox, and satire. In class, we will study examples of these styles and devices. Students will then be asked to write their own short pieces using the things we learned in class. This writing will be both imitative and creative...