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'''Irony''' (from the Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία ''eironeía'', meaning hypocrisy, deception, or feigned ignorance) is a literary or [[Rhetoric|rhetorical device]], in which there is an incongruity or discordance between what one says or does, and what one means or what is generally understood. Irony is a mode of expression that calls attention to discrepancy between two levels of knowledge. In fiction, it is a demonstration of the distance between the character's [[knowledge]] and that of the audience.

'''Irony''' (from the Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία ''eironeía'', meaning hypocrisy, deception, or feigned ignorance) is a literary or [[Rhetoric|rhetorical device]], in which there is an incongruity or discordance between what one says or does, and what one means or what is generally understood. Irony is a mode of expression that calls attention to discrepancy between two levels of knowledge. In fiction, it is a demonstration of the distance between the character's [[knowledge]] and that of the audience.

 

What qualifies as ironic is subjective, but all senses of irony revolve around the perceived notion of an incongruity between what is said and what is meant; or between an understanding of [[reality]], or an expectation of a reality, and what actually happens.

What qualifies as ironic is subjective, but all senses of irony revolve around the perceived notion of an incongruity between what is said and what is meant; or between an understanding of [[reality]], or an expectation of a reality, and what actually happens.

The term ''Socratic irony'', coined by Aristotle, refers to the [[Socratic Method]], and is not irony in the modern sense of the word.[http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/irony/socratic.php]

The term ''Socratic irony'', coined by Aristotle, refers to the [[Socratic Method]], and is not irony in the modern sense of the word.[https://www.sarcasmsociety.com/irony/socratic.php]

For example:

For example:

*When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof windows of the Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Thus, the windows made to protect the President from gunfire were partially responsible for his being shot.[http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleyaccount.html The Trial of John W. Hinckley, Jr.] by Doug Linder. 2001  

*When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof windows of the Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Thus, the windows made to protect the President from gunfire were partially responsible for his being shot.[https://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleyaccount.html The Trial of John W. Hinckley, Jr.] by Doug Linder. 2001  

*''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a story whose plot revolves around irony. Dorothy travels to a wizard and fulfills his challenging demands to go home, before discovering she had the ability to go back home all the time. The Scarecrow longs for [[intelligence]], only to discover he is already a [[genius]], and the Tin Woodsman longs to be capable of [[Romance|love]], only to discover he already has a [[heart]]. The Lion, who at first appears to be  a whimpering coward turns out to be bold and fearless, The people in Emerald City believe the Wizard to have been a powerful [[deity]], only to discover he was a bumbling eccentric old man.

*''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a story whose plot revolves around irony. Dorothy travels to a wizard and fulfills his challenging demands to go home, before discovering she had the ability to go back home all the time. The Scarecrow longs for [[intelligence]], only to discover he is already a [[genius]], and the Tin Woodsman longs to be capable of [[Romance|love]], only to discover he already has a [[heart]]. The Lion, who at first appears to be  a whimpering coward turns out to be bold and fearless, The people in Emerald City believe the Wizard to have been a powerful [[deity]], only to discover he was a bumbling eccentric old man.

*In "The Three Apples", a medieval ''Arabian Nights'' tale, the protagonist Ja'far ibn Yahya is ordered by Harun al-Rashid to find the culprit behind a murder mystery within three days or else be executed. It is only after the deadline has passed, and as he prepares to be executed, that he discovers that the culprit was his own slave all along. (Story-Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights ISBN 9004095306) (The Arabian Nights Reader, ISBN 0814332595)

*In "The Three Apples", a medieval ''Arabian Nights'' tale, the protagonist Ja'far ibn Yahya is ordered by Harun al-Rashid to find the culprit behind a murder mystery within three days or else be executed. It is only after the deadline has passed, and as he prepares to be executed, that he discovers that the culprit was his own slave all along. (Story-Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights ISBN 9004095306) (The Arabian Nights Reader, ISBN 0814332595)

Other examples:

Other examples:

*"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Nearly the last words of American Civil War General John Sedgwick before being shot through the eye by a Confederate sniper.[http://www.civilwarhome.com/sedgwickdeath.htm The Death of General John Sedgwick]

*"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Nearly the last words of American Civil War General John Sedgwick before being shot through the eye by a Confederate sniper.[https://www.civilwarhome.com/sedgwickdeath.htm The Death of General John Sedgwick]

*In Dallas, in response to Mrs. Connolly's comment, "Mr. President, you can't say that Dallas doesn't love you," John F. Kennedy said, "That's very obvious." He was assassinated immediately afterwards.

*In Dallas, in response to Mrs. Connolly's comment, "Mr. President, you can't say that Dallas doesn't love you," John F. Kennedy said, "That's very obvious." He was assassinated immediately afterwards.

*[[Ibn al-Haytham]] of Basra invented the modern [[camera obscura]], as described in his ''[[Book of Optics]]'' in 1021. Nearly a thousand years later, his hometown of Basra was attacked using camera-guided missiles during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=382]

*[[Ibn al-Haytham]] of Basra invented the modern [[camera obscura]], as described in his ''[[Book of Optics]]'' in 1021. Nearly a thousand years later, his hometown of Basra was attacked using camera-guided missiles during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[https://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=382]

*Several inventors were killed by their own creations, including Haman, Ismail ibn Hammad al-Javhari, "The First Attempts of Flight, Automatic Machines, Submarines and Rocket Technology in Turkish History", in ''The Turks'' (ed. H. C. Guzel), pp. 804-810 [http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/Rocket_Technology_in_Turkish_history1.pdf]  

*Several inventors were killed by their own creations, including Haman, Ismail ibn Hammad al-Javhari, "The First Attempts of Flight, Automatic Machines, Submarines and Rocket Technology in Turkish History", in ''The Turks'' (ed. H. C. Guzel), pp. 804-810 [https://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/Rocket_Technology_in_Turkish_history1.pdf]  

==Irony in use==

==Irony in use==

One point of view has it that all modern art is ironic because the viewer cannot help but compare it to previous works.  For example, any portrait of a standing, non-smiling woman will naturally be compared with the [[Mona Lisa]]; the tension of [[meaning]] exists, whether the artist meant it or not.   

One point of view has it that all modern art is ironic because the viewer cannot help but compare it to previous works.  For example, any portrait of a standing, non-smiling woman will naturally be compared with the [[Mona Lisa]]; the tension of [[meaning]] exists, whether the artist meant it or not.   

While this does not appear to exactly conform to any of the three types of irony above, there is some evidence that the term "ironic art" is being used in this context [http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jun/28/weekend7.weekend2 Guardian Online: The Final Irony].  This definition could extend to any sort of modern artistic endeavour: graphic design or music sampling, for example).

While this does not appear to exactly conform to any of the three types of irony above, there is some evidence that the term "ironic art" is being used in this context [https://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jun/28/weekend7.weekend2 Guardian Online: The Final Irony].  This definition could extend to any sort of modern artistic endeavour: graphic design or music sampling, for example).

===Comic irony===

===Comic irony===

There is a tradition that sees irony not as a limited tool in the sense of the three types of irony above, but as a disruptive force with the [[power]] to undo [[text]]s and [[reader]]s alike. This tradition includes Danish philosopher [[Søren Kierkegaard]], 19th century German critic and novelist [[Friedrich Schlegel]] ("On Incomprehensibility"), [[Charles Baudelaire]], [[Stendhal]], and the 20th century [[deconstruction]]ist [[Paul de Man]] ("The Concept of Irony"). Briefly, it insists that irony is, in Kierkegaard's words, "infinite, absolute negativity". Where much of [[philosophy]] attempts to reconcile opposites into a larger positive project, Kierkegaard and others insist that irony — whether expressed in complex games of [[author]]ship or simple [[litotes]] — must, in Kierkegaard's words, "swallow its own stomach". Irony entails endless [[reflection]] and violent reversals, and ensures incomprehensibility at the moment it compels speech. Not surprisingly, irony is the favorite textual property of deconstructionists.

There is a tradition that sees irony not as a limited tool in the sense of the three types of irony above, but as a disruptive force with the [[power]] to undo [[text]]s and [[reader]]s alike. This tradition includes Danish philosopher [[Søren Kierkegaard]], 19th century German critic and novelist [[Friedrich Schlegel]] ("On Incomprehensibility"), [[Charles Baudelaire]], [[Stendhal]], and the 20th century [[deconstruction]]ist [[Paul de Man]] ("The Concept of Irony"). Briefly, it insists that irony is, in Kierkegaard's words, "infinite, absolute negativity". Where much of [[philosophy]] attempts to reconcile opposites into a larger positive project, Kierkegaard and others insist that irony — whether expressed in complex games of [[author]]ship or simple [[litotes]] — must, in Kierkegaard's words, "swallow its own stomach". Irony entails endless [[reflection]] and violent reversals, and ensures incomprehensibility at the moment it compels speech. Not surprisingly, irony is the favorite textual property of deconstructionists.

==Notes==

==Notes==

#[http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/irony/socratic.php Sarcasm Society: Socratic Irony]

#[https://www.sarcasmsociety.com/irony/socratic.php Sarcasm Society: Socratic Irony]

#Hutcheon, p. 13

#Hutcheon, p. 13

#[http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleyaccount.html The Trial of John W. Hinckley], Jr. by Doug Linder. 2001 Retrieved 9 September 2008.

#[https://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleyaccount.html The Trial of John W. Hinckley], Jr. by Doug Linder. 2001 Retrieved 9 September 2008.

#Pinault, David (1992), Story-Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights, Brill Publishers, pp. 95-6, ISBN 9004095306  

#Pinault, David (1992), Story-Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights, Brill Publishers, pp. 95-6, ISBN 9004095306  

#Marzolph, Ulrich (2006), The Arabian Nights Reader, Wayne State University Press, pp. 241-2, ISBN 0814332595  

#Marzolph, Ulrich (2006), The Arabian Nights Reader, Wayne State University Press, pp. 241-2, ISBN 0814332595  

#New York Times, December 3, 2007, Page B1: It Dawned on Adults After WW II: 'You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

#New York Times, December 3, 2007, Page B1: It Dawned on Adults After WW II: 'You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

#[http://www.civilwarhome.com/sedgwickdeath.htm The Death of General John Sedgwick]

#[https://www.civilwarhome.com/sedgwickdeath.htm The Death of General John Sedgwick]

#[http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=382 "Camera Ibn Al-Haytham"]. FSTC Limited (03 October 2003). Retrieved on 2008-10-18.

#[https://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=382 "Camera Ibn Al-Haytham"]. FSTC Limited (03 October 2003). Retrieved on 2008-10-18.

#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosun_Terzio%C4%9Flu Arslan Terzioglu] (2007), "The First Attempts of Flight, Automatic Machines, Submarines and Rocket Technology in Turkish History", in The Turks (ed. H. C. Guzel), pp. 804-810 [1]

#[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosun_Terzio%C4%9Flu Arslan Terzioglu] (2007), "The First Attempts of Flight, Automatic Machines, Submarines and Rocket Technology in Turkish History", in The Turks (ed. H. C. Guzel), pp. 804-810 [1]

#[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F02E6DE1039E333A25757C0A9669D946297D6CF KILLED BY OWN INVENTION].; While Trying Motor Bicycle He Had Made, Schenectady Man Meets Death - Article Preview - The New York Times

#[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F02E6DE1039E333A25757C0A9669D946297D6CF KILLED BY OWN INVENTION].; While Trying Motor Bicycle He Had Made, Schenectady Man Meets Death - Article Preview - The New York Times

#[http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jun/28/weekend7.weekend2 Guardian Online: The Final Irony]

#[https://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jun/28/weekend7.weekend2 Guardian Online: The Final Irony]

==Bibliography==

==Bibliography==

==External links==

==External links==

*"[http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,985375,00.html The final irony]"—a ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' article about irony, use and misuse of the term

*"[https://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,985375,00.html The final irony]"—a ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' article about irony, use and misuse of the term

*[http://sc.tri-bit.com/Irony Article on the etymology of Irony]

*[https://sc.tri-bit.com/Irony Article on the etymology of Irony]

*[http://www.bartleby.com/61/61/I.html AHD Definition of ''irony'']

*[https://www.bartleby.com/61/61/I.html AHD Definition of ''irony'']

*[http://www.bartleby.com/61/43/I.html AHD Definition of and usage note for ''ironic'']

*[https://www.bartleby.com/61/43/I.html AHD Definition of and usage note for ''ironic'']

*[http://etext.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/ot2www-dhi?specfile=/texts/english/dhi/dhi.o2w&act=text&offset=&query=irony&tag=IRONY Extended discourse in ''Dictionary of the History of Ideas'']

*[https://etext.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/ot2www-dhi?specfile=/texts/english/dhi/dhi.o2w&act=text&offset=&query=irony&tag=IRONY Extended discourse in ''Dictionary of the History of Ideas'']

*"[http://afflatus.ucd.ie/sardonicus/tree.jsp Sardonicus]"—a web-resource that provides access to similes, ironic and otherwise, harvested from the web.

*"[https://afflatus.ucd.ie/sardonicus/tree.jsp Sardonicus]"—a web-resource that provides access to similes, ironic and otherwise, harvested from the web.

*[http://www.clown-enfant.com/leclown/eng/drama/livre.htm#IRO Excerpt on dramatic irony from Yves Lavandier's Writing Drama]

*[https://www.clown-enfant.com/leclown/eng/drama/livre.htm#IRO Excerpt on dramatic irony from Yves Lavandier's Writing Drama]

[[Category: Languages and Literature]]

[[Category: Languages and Literature]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]