Irony 修辞讲解.doc

Irony
Definition: important linguistic phenomenon in our daily life or literary works.
2. saying sth but mean the opposite
3. is a figure of speech, in order to bring emphasis to a particular
truth with deliberately use of language that is contrary to the truth.
Origin: from Greek word “ eironeia”, means “dissimulation(修饰)”
Types:
verbal irony--refers to the speaker’s expression and es apart: when a speaker says one thing but actually means annother, or when a literal meaning is contrary to its intended effect.
“great game, Tom.”--when Tom fumbled three times.
又如英国的 Gotham 是有名的愚人村, 却故意说:
They are almost as wise as the wise men of Gotham .
他们几乎和愚人村里的愚人一样聪明
Situational irony--refers to one’s intention and the action’s es apart: the result of an action is contrary to the expected effect.
Situational irony results from recognizing the oddness of a given situation, which can be positive or negative.
Situational irony can be also called Circumstantial Irony or Irony of Fate.
再例如凯特·肖邦(Kate Chopin) 的短篇小说《一小时的故事》( The Story of an
Hour) 中, 路易丝·马拉德(Louise Mallard) 太太得知丈夫因车祸去世的消息时表面上一阵号
啕大哭, 内心里却暗自高兴, 她早就盼望这一天的到来, 不禁低声对自己说: “ Free ! Body
and soul free !”但正当她暗自得意时, 丈夫突然出现在门口! 原来他大难不死, 安然回家,
而 Mallard 太太却由于这突如其来的刺激而心脏病发作, 不治身亡。
Dramatic Irony mon in novels and plays. In the novel the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different m