American Literature / Unit 1 AML 0029 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Irony: Verbal, Situational, Dramatic
Captions available
The idea
Cicero called irony saying one thing and meaning another, and the glossary keeps his definition. Verbal irony is a speaker's meaning differing sharply from the words. Situational irony is an outcome reversing what was expected. Dramatic irony is a reader knowing what a character does not.
In practice
The words, the outcome, or the reader's advantage.
Where people slip
Irony is not sarcasm, and not coincidence.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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