We’ve misused ironic for so damn long we should probably just add it as a definition.
Irony is e.g. writing a song about irony, and then filling it with events that aren’t ironic.
IT’S LIKE RAAAAAAAAAaAAAAAAAAaaaAaaiiiin
I feel like you can easily find counterexamples that aren’t ironic, so this argument doesn’t make sense.
“It’s like rain on your wedding day” - This is not irony. Weddings are planned months, sometimes years in advance. There wouldn’t be an expectation that it couldn’t rain on your wedding day, that’s an understood possibility.
Because it’s an understood possibility that it can rain on your wedding day, it’s not ironic if it does happen, it’s just unfortunate.
An example that would be ironic, is if you are planning a hiking trip and you specifically go on Saturday because the weather forecasted it to be sunny, but it ended up raining anyway. That’s ironic because expectation does not meet reality.
FTA
For everyone I know, rain on one’s wedding day would indeed be cruelly, humorously, and strangely at odds with expectations.
Yeah I think you’re right. I strongly disagree with the authors use of “expectations” here.
You don’t want it to rain during a wedding, But nobody has any expectations that it won’t. Catering companies and venues have tents for this purpose because it is expected to happen occasionally.
I think the second example also falls under “unfortunate”, I would call it ironic if you had planned the trip for Sunday, but moved it to Saturday because of the weather forecast, then it ended up being rainy on Saturday and sunny on Sunday. Although specifically where I’m from I would still put that chain of events within the range of “likely to happen” (unpredictable weather is a bitch).
“The use of words expressing something other than their literal intention. Now that is irony!” - Bender Bending Rodriguez
I love that bit because the things Bender keeps calling out as not being ironic, are only not ironic from his perspective. To the audience, every single example is one of dramatic irony.
This was gonna be my exact comment, I’m thrilled someone beat me too it
Irony is the opposite of wrinkly
I thought it was the opposite of anemia
I like how they used actual irony here.
Now that I think about it, I’ve also spent my whole life with a very vague idea and ultimately only pretending to know what that word means.
Examples of metaphysical irony:
(objective irony)
(irony of fate - mostly tragedies)
Example of verbal irony:
I think it’s helpful to know that there are several different types of irony, and that might be why people are confused. It’s always used for drama or humor.
Dramatic irony is what happens in a story when the audience knows more than a character. Think horror movies! It can also be used in a humorous way.
Situational irony is when the opposite of what’s expected happens, for humorous or dramatic effect. For example, the hero’s been holding on to an ancient sword for years and finally pulls it out to use it only to realize it’s broken.
Verbal irony is when someone says one thing but means another, again for humorous or dramatic effect. Sarcasm is an example, satire is another. We use verbal irony all the time.
Then there Freudian irony: when you say one thing, but mean your mother.
It’s ok, metallurgy isn’t for everyone.
clear communication is rife with failure. But it is the only true and consistent way.
Ha, they misspelled iconic.
