On Irony

Unlike the term “satire” discussed in a previous post, the term “irony” seems more often used and even less correctly understood.  Its use (or misuse) is not limited to academic circles or literature classes; whether a statement or situation is or is not ironic has been a frequent matter of debate in online comments and in verbal conversation.  Even I have to pause and evaluate whether the declared “ironic” situation is truly an example of irony.  Part of the difficulty lies in that not everyone agrees on its definition—or, one might say, certain kinds of irony depend on one’s perception.  The following, therefore, merely sets forth my own understanding of the term.

People commonly say such things as “How ironic that it would rain just when I’m ready to walk the dog.”  However, that’s not irony; that’s an annoying coincidence.  

“It’s ironic that this politician embezzled.”  Um... sorry.  Still “no”—unless some unstated aspect of the context makes it so, such as his previously speaking against embezzlement, and even then it's questionable—I mean, we're talking about a politician.

“A car crashing into a ‘drive safely’ sign—now, that’s ironic!”  Finally, yes!  In this case, we see situational irony between an expected outcome (that people would drive more safely because of the sign) and the real outcome (a car crash despite—and more ironically, into—the sign).  In a similar way, Shelly’s poem “Ozymandias” demonstrates situational irony with the visual juxtaposition in its final lines:

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is OZYMANDIAS, King of Kings."

Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!

No thing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that Colossal Wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The following images likewise show the same kind of irony:

http://izismile.com/2012/05/10/irony_alert_part_2_18_pics.html

http://izismile.com/2012/05/10/irony_alert_part_2_18_pics.html

Aside from situational irony, other forms include dramatic, verbal, and Socratic.  Dramatic irony appears solely in fiction (plays, films, literature), for its irony is understood by an audience but not by the characters, such as in Romeo and Juliet when most characters believe and behave as though Juliet has died while the audience knows otherwise.  Verbal irony is mild sarcasm in which the words express the opposite of their literal meaning, such as “What lovely weather” said in regard to a hailstorm.  Finally, in Socratic irony, a questioner pretends ignorance to expose his interlocutor's folly, such as used by... well, you can guess.  

In general terms, then, irony is “a reversal of expectations” (Matthew Inman, theoatmeal.com).  Of course, this definition of irony causes some debate, for someone might say, "I expected Jim to lose that race, but he won it instead—is that ironic?"  Not quite.  The speaker's guess was merely incorrect—or one might say Jim exceeded expectations rather that reversing them.  Furthermore, it fails to be ironic because the juxtaposition between the two—expectation and reality—is neither striking nor proximate.  Finally, for some morbid reason, negative reversals seem more ironic than positive ones: simply consider the relative perception of irony in "We'll be fine" spoken just before a tragedy and "We're gonna die!" shouted just before a rescue.
            The line between error and irony is extra fuzzy since one person’s expectations—or strength of said expectations—may differ from another’s.  Thus, I prefer the definition that irony is any contradiction between an action or statement, and its context.  (I just recalled—C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters that the Joke Proper "turns on sudden perception of incongruity."  Rather similar to irony, eh?)  Even then, however, one may argue that a contradiction between assumption and reality exists in un-ironic circumstances, such as coincidences, unfortunate scenarios, and human errors.  Alas!
            Well, even if the term's still unclearly defined, at least you now have a couple working definitions you can use to defend your position in a dispute over the presence of irony.

To view Inman’s humorous (but unfortunately crass) explanation of irony, click the following link: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/irony.