Definition of Irony
The official definition of irony is: Something humorously or sharply different from what was intended or implied...
If vampires fight in an old castle... that is not ironic...
If vampires fight in an old graveyard... that is not ironic...
If vampires fight in the blood bank of a poorly kept hospital... that is not ironic...
If vampires fight in a vegetarian restaurant or a kid's playground... that's ironic...
Everybody expects (in a horror movie or roleplaying game) for there to be vampires in a castle or graveyard... nobody expects vampires to hunt in a playground, a Spice Girls concert or a Christian bookstore...
Irony is the exact opposite of what the audience expects...
If vampires fight in the blood bank of a poorly kept hospital... that is not ironic...
....
Irony is the exact opposite of what the audience expects...
Good defination. I agree with it.
Wouldn't the above quote be as ironic as well since vampires wouldn't get their blood from a blood bank?
BeeBee
No...
You expect vampires to steal blood... so if vampires rob a blood bank... that's not really ironic...
If mobsters rob a bank... it's not ironic... if mobsters rob a coffee shop because they need caffeine and are really cheap... that's ironic...
If mobsters rob a police station or military armoury... that's ironic...
pearly breasts
crimson suits youuuu!~
FANGED! BIT! AND DRAINED!
as the crimson sky's turned to brown
and yellow and the sun shone through
the window like days last light!
This is not ironic?
as he sucklantly bit into the carrot
and Ooooh! Aaaaah! the carrot
would squeal
drained it dry.
This is ironic since Vampires don't
like carrots!
That would not be not ironic, that would be FUNNY!!
Irony is also when you do something, and that something comes back to bite you in the butt.
I can think of at least two simpsons examples right now
Ha ha! Wait, I missed that! Get him to say it again!
-- Jimbo Jones with a camcorder, after Ralph pours some emotions out,
"This Little Wiggy"
% Bart decides he can't bail out on a friend, even if it is Ralph. The
% bullies take the master key and play "keep away".
Bart: Hey, come on! I thought we were friends.
Nelson: Yeah, well, I hope the irony's not lost on you, Simpson.
[punches Bart in the stomach, sending him into a mud puddle, and
throws the Springfield master key through a now-shattered window]
Chernobyl into a mere Three Mile Island. Bravo!
[Places an award around Homer's neck.]
Lisa: I think it's ironic that Dad saved the day while a slimmer man
would have fallen to his death.
Bart: And I think it's ironic that for once Dad's butt prevented the
release of toxic gas --
Marge: Bart!
_________________
I live my life to prove wrong those who said I couldn't make it in life...
Nuttdan
WP Co-Founder
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 323
Location: White River Junction, VT
You need someone British to explain it to you...
This is NOT Ironic. It is just bad luck.
1000 forks when all you need is a knife.
This is IRONIC.
1000 forks and you want a knife but no one has one. You just retired from a lifetime of making knives in a knife factory too. How Ironic.
Does that explain it once and for all? ![]()
Nomaken
Veteran
Joined: 9 Jun 2005
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,058
Location: 31726 Windsor, Garden City, Michigan, 48135
I've tried before to make a perfect definition of irony. I might try again. But it seems that so far there is no perfect, all encompassing defintion of irony. So what i do is never claim to know exactly what irony is. And i don't believe anyone - at face value - that they know what irony is either. But i can't expect everyone else to go around knowing that irony is too hard to explain and not trying, I can only fairly expect that from myself.
It may be that irony isn't a definition but an experiance. Because although we can't come up with a perfect definition, we can tell when something isn't ironic, or isn't very ironic, or when something seems like a really great or near perfect example of irony. Because i'm sure at least some of you have had the experiance where someone thinks something is ironic, that it just doesn't seem to you that the situation is ironic. Maybe coincidental, or incongrueous, or unexpected, but not quite exactly ironic.
I've had dozens of these experiances.
So i am begining to think that irony is more like an emotion caused by certain situations than an actual literary mechanism. It would be hard defining irony like it is hard defining strawberrys or happiness.
You can't describe happiness, only what situations might illicit it.
as he sucklantly bit into the carrot .
and Ooooh! Aaaaah! the carrot
would squeal if it spoke as he
drained it dry.
This is ironic since Vampires don't
like carrots!
Unless they're Bunnicula
Though Chester the Cat was always my favorite.
1000 forks when all you need is a knife.
Yes. That song always annoyed me. Actually, on the radio the DJ was talking about it once, and he said "And here's 'Isn't it Ironic?' But really, we all know it isn't. The title should really be 'Doesn't it suck?'" Though it is somewhat ironic that a song about irony isn't about irony at all, but is in itself ironic because of that.
I fail to see what strawberries have to do with this, as they can be defined as small red fruit which has its seeds on the outside. I mean, I know most fruits have their seeds on the inside, but I don't think it's really been disputed that much, has it? Not like tomatos, anyway.
As for happiness, to me it's like warm lightness in my chest and tugging at the corners of my mouth. But I'm sure the dictionary has a different definition.
Irony, to me, feels like a switch going off in my head, though I find it hard to wrap my mind around.
From Dictionary.com:
n. pl. i·ro·nies
The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect. See Synonyms at wit1.
Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs: “Hyde noted the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated” (Richard Kain).
An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. See Usage Note at ironic.
Dramatic irony.
Socratic irony.
It is a literary device, but it often depends on the emotional reaction of surprise to be recognized, I believe. Usually it is used to create humor or dissapointment.

