Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State

University

Functions of irony
Lecturer: Manana Rusieshvili
Instructor of the seminar: Nato Peradze
Student: Mariam Didberidze

Tbilisi 2023
Table of contents
1. What is irony in
writing………………………………………...3
2. Why do writers use irony? (purpose)
…………………………...3
3. Types of
irony……………………………………………………3
4. Dramatic
irony…………………………………………………..4
5. Verbal
irony……………………………………………………..4
6. Situational
irony…………………………………………………4
7. Cosmic
irony……………………………………………………..5
8. Tragic irony………………………………………………………
5
9. Socratic
irony…………………………………………………….6
10. Differences between irony, sarcasm, and
satire………………………………………………………………
6
11. What is
sarcasm?....................................................................6
12. What is
satire?........................................................................6
13. How to write irony in your
writing……………………….7
14. Irony examples in
Georgian………………………………7
 15. References…………………………………………………
7

What is irony in writing

Irony takes place when there is an incongruity between
appearance and reality. It is a literary device that can be
used to portray illusion with the intent of ridicule and a hit
of laughableness. The irony is when something is said or
done opposite of its literal meaning.
The laughable quality of irony makes it absurd, sinister,
and practical at the same time. Irony often generates an
unexpected outcome, humor, and poetic justice. The
word irony descends from Latin ironia, Greek eironia from
eiron, meaning “dissembler”.
Example of an irony: “The world can finally expect peace
after the establishment of the United Nations”

Why do writers use irony? (Purpose)

Irony brings depth, insight, and creativity to the process
of storytelling. In literature, irony brings complexity to the
narrative structure, creates suspense, and contrasts
knowledge, ignorance, expectation, and reality.
The purpose of irony in creative writing is to twist words,
scenes, and expected outcomes to fit the writer’s
message.

Types of irony
There are several types of irony in writing. The major
types include verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational
irony, tragic irony, and cosmic irony. Every story uses
irony because it is versatile, dramatic, funny, and gives a
sense of amusement even if the irony is wry and sinister.
Dramatic irony
Dramatic irony occurs not necessarily in plays. They can
be found in any form of writing, whether short stories or
poems. This type of irony involves the plot, the
audience/readers, and the characters in the story.
Example: Bryan Cranston as Walter White, and
Dean Norris as Agent Schrader in Breaking Bad.
An example of dramatic irony is when in Breaking Bad,
Agent Schrader is looking for Heisenberg, the drug lord,
without being aware that it is his brother-in-law Walter
White, who has been there in front of him all along.
Verbal irony
Verbal irony is produced through the speech and dialogue
of the speaker. It can be heard when someone says
something opposite to what is happening intending to
mock, severely underplaying something to the point of
ridicule, or narrating an ironic event.
Example: “I know I have betrayed you before, but
you can trust me this time.”
Situational irony
Situational irony occurs when the reader’s expectation
from a situation is overturned by something unforeseen,
in a way that has a sour connection to the event that led
to this outcome.
Examples:
 A fire station in flames.
 A car racer being afraid of speed.
 A police officer being arrested.
 A cardiologist having a heart attack.
Cosmic irony
This is often allied with situational irony, However, unlike
the former, an invisible force is involved in this type of
irony. This force may come in the form of fate, god,
higher power, or poetic justice that has power and
authority over the characters.
Unlike situational irony, cosmic irony is fatalistic, and the
reader or the audience can anticipate the outcome. The
idea is to restore harmony.
Example: “Andrew Jackson, the seventh president
of the U.S. and avid opponent of both national
banks and paper currencies, is now on the $20
bill.”
Tragic irony
This type of irony is seen chiefly in plays, mainly tragedy.
It involves the title character, where the character
believed something and carries out their actions on this
belief, but in reality, they have misread the
circumstances and have committed several fatal
mistakes.
When the main character realizes this, it is often too late.
The mistakes or decisions are irreversible, and the other
characters in the writing help bring about the catharsis.
Example: “The protagonist spends years trying to
get rich by robbing people but dies without any
money after being robbed himself.”
Socratic irony
Named after the great philosopher Socrates Socratic
irony is used to unfurl deception. The subject is asked
apparently harmless questions till the point where they
confess. Socratic irony is often used for educational
purposes by teachers, to draw out a point from a
discussion, and to engage the learners for better
comprehension.
Example: “Andy Sandberg as Jake Peralta,
interrogating Sterling K. Brown as Philip Davidson
in Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode ‘The Box”.
Difference Between irony, Sarcasm, Satire
The irony is generally based on events, and it has a larger
perspective in mind. On the other hand, sarcasm is a
form of expression, primarily verbal.
What is sarcasm?
Sarcasm is a form of irony with the intention to express. It
is comic in nature and often indulges dark humor. Used
as a form of verbal irony, sarcasm is a literary device
used by pop culture to express dissatisfaction and
mockery. Sarcasm is found in plenty of memes.
Example: “I made the genius choice of selling my
car right before I decided to move.”
What is satire?
Satire is a larger concept than irony, it encompasses
various aspects of cultural and societal issues and intends
to expose flaws in the same. Satires aim to have an
expository effect, a revelation of vices.
Examples: Slaughterhouse-five(novel), Gulliver’s
Travels(novel), The Simpsons(TV Show), and
Bajack Horseman (TV show).
How to write irony in your writing
 Irony requires the writer to have an insightful mind.
First, research the different types of irony,
 Exploy unexpected outcomes, but not coincidences.
The difference is that coincidence may not align with
expectation, but irony will.
 For example, a robber encountering a car accident is
a coincidence, but a robber’s house being robbed is
ironic.
 Irony enhances the art of storytelling. It inspires fear
when used in journalistic writing to expose.
 Writing a scene and using understatement to define
a critical situation.
  Creating suspense by revealing information to the
reader or audience but not the character in question.
 Saying the opposite of what one means is employing
verbal irony.
 Contrast words with actions.
Irony examples in Georgian
“უნდა გენახათ, რა ლამაზი იყო ჩვენი ლუარსაბი: ფეხშიშველა,
ლურჯი კალმუხის ქუდით თავზედ, წითელ პერანგის და მის
განუშორებელ ამხანაგის ანაბარას, გულგადაღეღილი, ფაშვიანი
ჩიბუხით ხელში...“
 [წვიმს]: მაგრამ რა მშვენიერი დღეა!
 [გვიან ჩამოსვლა]: თქვენ ყოველთვის იმდენად
პუნქტუალური ხართ!
 [არ ვთანამშრომლობ]“ დაჯექი, ნუ იღლები ამდენი
დახმარებით.
 [როდესაც რაიმე აშკარად ნათქვამია]: თუ არ მეტყვი, არ
ვიცი.
 [შვებულებაში, დასვენება]: რა მძიმე ცხოვრებაა!
 [ყველაფერი შეჭამეთ]: თქვენ არ გშიათ!

References
1. https://bestwriting.com/wiki/irony-in-
writing
2. http://www.nplg.gov.ge/saskolo/
index.php?a=term&d=43&t=68
3. https://ka.warbletoncouncil.org/ironia-
381