Three major kinds of irony can be the foundations for interesting literary essays. Linguistic irony refers to a phrase with a meaning other than what is directly stated: After failing a test, someone might say, “Oh, that went well.” Dramatic or tragic irony refers to a literary situation in which the audience or readers are aware of something in the plot that will eventually affect characters who remain unaware: A character might be falling in love with a secret admirer even though, as the audience knows, the secret admirer is actually the character’s biggest enemy trying to get revenge. Socratic irony refers to a person feigning ignorance in order to benefit in an argument: While arguing about the merits of one car over another, a character might ask, “What is so great about the car you want anyway?” in order to receive an expected answer that he or she can easily counter.
Develop an idea or argument about how irony appears within the literature. For example, literary essays could argue that linguistic irony allows characters to show discontent in otherwise polite social interactions, that dramatic irony builds suspense for the audience by letting them know the eventual outcome of some events, or that characters use Socratic irony to protect themselves when their secrets are uncovered. Your argument about how the author uses irony should shape your thesis statement, introduction, and body paragraphs.
In each body paragraph, describe ironic situations and language that pertain to your argument. Summarize just enough of a situation to make the irony clear to your readers. Show why you think a situation or statement is ironic by describing its complex meaning. For example, the character who said, “Oh, that went well,” after failing a test is clearly using linguistic irony to show his or her dissatisfaction; the failed test did not go well, and the statement directly contradicts this reality.
Descriptions of irony should connect to your overall argument. Make these connections clear to your readers. For example, if you wanted to argue that the character who failed a test generally uses irony as a defense mechanism, the phrase, “Oh, that went well,” provides one example. Include as many examples as space, time, and assignment requirements will allow, and be sure to connect all of them to some central idea or argument.