Irony

Irony is a form of expression in which an implicit meaning is concealed or contradicted by the explicit meaning of the expression. Irony involves the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem. Dramatic irony lies in the audience's deeper perceptions of a coming fate, which contrast with a character's lack of knowledge about it.

Usage controversy

The material above deals with the primary dictionary meaning of the word irony. There is no controversy that the usage above is a correct usage; the controversy is over whether it is the only correct usage. Authority, in the form of dictionaries and usage guides, can be cited on both sides.

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Descriptivists generally discount such self-proclaimed language authorities in favor of studying how individuals currently use the word.

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It is currently quite common to hear the word ironic used as a synonym for incongruous in situations where there is no "double audience", and no contradiction between the ostensible and true meaning of the words. Two examples of such usage:

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:Ironically, Sir Arthur Sullivan is remembered for the comic operas he found embarrassing, rather than the serious works he hoped would be his legacy.

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:Adolph Coors III was the former heir to the Coors beer empire. Ironically, Coors was allergic to beer.

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The American Heritage Dictionary's usage panel found it unacceptable to use the word ironic to describe mere unfortunate coincidences or surprising disappointments that "suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly." This definition still allows the above usage but excludes examples like "ironically, I encountered a traffic jam when I was already late."

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However, the American Heritage Dictionary recognizes a secondary meaning for irony: "incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs". In other words, ironic in this sense is synonymous with incongruous. The word incongruity is not in the active vocabulary for most speakers of the English language, irony being much more widespread among those wanting to be precise in their language.

Related Topics:
American Heritage Dictionary - Vocabulary

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Other historical prescriptivists have even stricter definitions for the word irony. Henry Watson Fowler, in The King's English, says "any definition of irony — though hundreds might be given, and very few of them would be accepted — must include this, that the surface meaning and the underlying meaning of what is said are not the same." Fowler would thus consider the Sullivan example above as incorrect usage.

Related Topics:
Prescriptivists - Henry Watson Fowler

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Recent developments

Alanis Morissette's popular 1995 song "Ironic" breathed new life into the ongoing controversy over the definition of irony. The song attracted a great deal of attention from prescriptivists for its (arguably) blatant misuse of the word ironic. Morissette's alleged misuses of the word include the following:

Related Topics:
Alanis Morissette - 1995 - Ironic

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:It's like a traffic jam/When you're already late

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:He won the lottery/And died the next day

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Among those who assert that the song uses an invalid definition of irony, many find it ironic that Morissette would write a song titled "Ironic" with no actual irony in it. In 2004, Morissette herself stated that "the most ironic thing about 'Ironic' is that it's not filled with ironies" and acknowledged that the song doesn't live up to the definition, which is what makes it ironic.

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This sort of meta-irony was almost certainly the goal of the writers of Saturday Night Live in their "Tales of Irony" sketch, in which guest host Jason Alexander presided over a Masterpiece Theatre-like presentation of short films which, to his increasing dismay, lacked ironic content. Irony played the role of the punchline in many Bill Brasky skits of Saturday Night Live, famously the interchange "He hated Mexicans! / He was half Mexican! / .......And he hated irony!"

Related Topics:
Saturday Night Live - Jason Alexander - Masterpiece Theatre - Bill Brasky

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Another popular definition of irony appears in the 1997 film Con Air, in which Garland Greene, played by actor Steve Buscemi, states (while 'Sweet Home Alabama' plays in the background):

Related Topics:
1997 - Con Air - Steve Buscemi - Sweet Home Alabama

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:"Define irony: a bunch of idiots dancing around on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash."

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The character of Greene in the film almost appears to represent the force of irony personified. Described as a violent serial killer and rapist, he innocently plays with a little girl and doesn't harm her at all despite the 'warning' of ominous music, and he is one of the few characters who is both made likable and who survives to the end of the story and escapes, and most viewers tend to be happy about this. In this the character also serves as a sort of secondary background-character protagonist, but as an anti-hero.

Related Topics:
Protagonist - Anti-hero

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It may be that popular usage patterns are shifting the predominant meaning of irony toward references to ironies of fate. Whether this has been caused, exemplified or popularized by the American Heritage Dictionary (or by Alanis Morissette) is unclear.

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