Irony: Encyclopedia II - Irony - Irony and sarcasm

Irony - Irony and sarcasm

Heavy-handed irony, in which a speaker emphatically states the flat opposite of the truth – perhaps with accompanying body language to deny the words – becomes sarcasm. Sarcasm is the use of speech in a derisive, mocking or contemptuous manner. A common form of sarcasm is to ironically say something positive when something negative is clearly intended. Accustomed to this form of sarcasm, many mistakenly identify sarcasm as a form of irony. In fact, the two need not be connected. In the book Irony from the series The Critical Idiom (edited by John D. Jump, published by Methuen, 1973), the author, D. C. Muecke, suggests that sarcasm precludes irony:

An example of sarcasm would be "Well done," said in a disgusted or angry tone to someone who has done something wrong. Since it is perfectly clear to all parties that this is a negative message, the incidental fact of the positive wording used to carry the message does not really qualify this as irony.

An example of irony without sarcasm would be an understated "not bad," said to someone who has just done something extraordinary and impressive. Both the speaker and the listener hear the literal meaning of "acceptable, but no better," and understand the intended meaning, of strong approval and admiration. They share a perception of irony. On the other hand, if it is said to someone who has just done something extraordinarily wrong, it would be clearly sarcastic.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Irony and sarcasm", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki