{"id":6299,"date":"2018-04-23T17:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T00:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=6299"},"modified":"2018-04-08T08:24:15","modified_gmt":"2018-04-08T15:24:15","slug":"3-types-irony-in-literature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/3-types-irony-in-literature\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Types of Irony in Literature (and How to Write About Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever sign into Facebook only to see that your BFF posted a long rant about how much he hates Facebook?<\/p>\n

The fact that he\u2019s using Facebook to complain about how much he hates <\/i>Facebook is a clear example of irony.<\/p>\n

Locating examples of irony in literature, though, may not be so obvious. You might need to brush up on your literary analysis<\/a> skills in order to write an ironclad paper about irony.<\/p>\n

To help you out, here are three types of irony you\u2019ll find in literature, ideas on how to write about irony in literature, and a few examples of where you might spot irony in your reading assignments.<\/p>\n

Ready to do battle with irony? Don your armor, and let us begin!<\/p>\n

3 Types of Irony in Literature (and How to Write About Them)<\/h2>\n

Irony<\/a> can be defined as a situation that’s different than anticipated or as using words in a way that differs from their intended meanings.<\/p>\n

Situational, dramatic, and verbal irony are the basic forms of irony in literature you’ll see most often.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s not always as obvious as using Facebook to complain about Facebook, irony does force you, as a reader, to look more deeply into the meaning of the text to fully appreciate it.<\/p>\n

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Irony forces you to look more deeply into the meaning of the text.<\/a><\/div>\n

Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n

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Situational irony<\/h3>\n

Situational irony occurs when an event turns out to be significantly different than what you expected. It\u2019s sort of like the twist at the end of a movie.<\/p>\n

Imagine looking out your dorm window to see a fellow student walking through the courtyard after a torrential rain. She\u2019s wearing sandals and steps carefully around each puddle to avoid getting wet.<\/p>\n

But she\u2019s so concerned with looking down to avoid puddles that she forgets to look up and walks right under an awning that drenches her with rainwater as she walks by. It\u2019s ironic that she tried so hard to stay dry but got soaked anyway.<\/p>\n

In literature, you\u2019ll find situational irony in the short story \u201cWhere Are You Going, Where Have You Been?\u201d by Joyce Carol Oates. When you read the title, you generally think of a parent asking a child about her actions and who she plans to be with.<\/p>\n

Ironically, Connie\u2019s parents don\u2019t seem too concerned with where she goes or who she goes with. The result: Connie ends up in a dangerous situation with an adult man and is likely raped.<\/p>\n

Another example is the novel Animal Farm<\/i><\/a>. The animals of the farm take over the farm so that they can run it as they see fit. They abhor the way people run things. Ironically enough, the animals end up acting just like people\u2014and even worse in some situations.<\/p>\n

What to look for when identifying situational irony:<\/b><\/p>\n