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January 15, 2005
Irony (White intro)
from Wilson, Deirdre, and Dan Sperber. "On Verbal Irony." Lingua 87 (1992): 53-76. Rpt. The Stylistics Reader: From Roman Jakobson to the Present. Ed. Jean Jacques Weber. New York: St. Martin's, 1996. 260-79.
Modern definitions of irony are predicated upon the classical understanding. "In classical rhetoric, verbal irony is a trope, and as such involves the substitution of a figurative for a literal meaning. Irony is defined as the trope in which the figurative meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning. . . . . Or, as Dr. Johnson put it, irony is 'a mode of speech in which the meaning is contrary to the words" (260). But there are "many weaknesses" in the classical definition. Irony doesn't always mean the opposite of what it says; sometimes irony is in understatement, in a recognized quotation in a particular context (261), or in an interjection. Moreover, not all statements contrary to meaning are ironic; some are simply lies (262). A second problem with the classical definition is that it identifies irony but not its motivations and reception. "We believe . . . that verbal irony is both natural and universal; that it can be expected to arise spontaneously, without having to be taught or learned" (263).
Posted by senioritis at January 15, 2005 08:23 PM