Irony is a figure of speech which involves the reader or hearer understanding from the tone of the writing or utterance that what is meant is not what is said. The device was known to the Greeks who used the term

to denote dissimulation achieved through deliberate understatement, and an often noted example is the way Socrates in Plato’s

pretends to be asking very naive questions of other philosophers, in the end to reveal that he has exposed the weak points in their arguments. Greek drama used a similar device -- which is also found in some modern televison crime series -- a character known technically as the

who appears as a buffoon but who in the end triumphs those apparently superior.

We hear irony in every day life when someone says “How charming!” to

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Citation: Clark, Robert. "Irony". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 November 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1255, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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