What is the color of irony? This may be a silly notion, but we have given color designations to various kinds of writing. Yellow Journalism (today’s Clickbait) was a term given to (mostly) eye-catching newspaper headlines and sensationally exaggerated stories. Purple Prose describes overly ornate or elaborate writing which draws attention to itself by excessive use of adjectives, adverbs, and contorted metaphors to the detriment of the message. Blue Prose is writing of a decidedly vulgar nature relying on overly sexual suggestion. But there are some positive colors as well! They may not be as well known: Orange Prose is sensitive writing that presents its information without extra/flowery language, but also does not shy away from fresh or visceral similes. Green Prose has a tone of casual familiarity between author and reader. I wonder what color we would give ironic writing.
Anyone vaguely aware of recent media language has noticed the repetition of words and phrases (“unprecedented” or “Waste, fraud, and abuse” come to mind), noticed hyperbole (that skeptical notion of “too good to be true”), noticed constant reiteration of lies when measured against commonly accepted facts derived from trusted scientific data and from people of wide ranging expertise. You have also been inundated by hypocritical statements. Much of these are couched in irony (though the speaker is often totally unaware of this.) I am sure you can come up with obvious examples. Hypocrisy is “the feigning to be what one is not; to believe what one does not [actually believe], especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.” [Webster’s 7th New Collegiate Dictionary] Wise men know their hypocrites!
As a literary device, irony is of three basic types: situational, dramatic, and verbal. Situational irony is when the opposite action occurs from what is expected; often to humorous effect as in “situational comedies.” Much of this technique is based on a misunderstanding between or among characters. One example might be when teenage lovers sneak out of their respective houses to meet, only to discover their parents making love in the back seat of the family car parked in the driveway. By far, the most familiar example is Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex.
Dramatic irony is when the audience/reader knows something that the character(s) in the play, story, or poem do not. A familiar example is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Julliet. We know that Juliet has taken a sleeping potion, but Romeo does not and thinks she is dead. Aren’t we amused by the ending of O. Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi?
But let’s discuss verbal irony. Irony can enliven an image, deepen a narrative or character, push the plot, or drive home a complex issue. It is amazing that a simple ‘twist’ can perk-up a poem or story, and it is an effective way to keep the reader on their toes which is what art should do after all. We are often humored when we catch the ironic phrase or the punch line of a joke.
You can argue that in these culturally and politically unstable times, irony is the only way to confront these conditions, this absurd world. Maybe ours is an age of snafus (Situation Normal: All Fucked Up) a somewhat ironic statement as it seems to me. There are other literary terms around the notion of contradiction: paradox presents elements which seem dubious or untrue only to turn out to be true upon comprehending the intention. Or oxymoron which, again, pairs seemingly opposing elements.
In previous eras of fractured or troubling times, irony was popularly used in commentary and in works of art and literature. In the recent twentieth century literature, such as Catch-22 (Joseph Heller), Animal Farm (George Orwell), The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and many others, make classic use of this verbal device to heighten the power of the ‘message’ or theme, or bring attention to larger cultural issues. In the first, anti-war, anti-hero comments are made during the execution of war. In the second, animals seeking better lives end up oppressed by the pigs, echoing the tyranny in human societies. And lastly, comment is made condemning the shallow personal relationships of (1920s) American culture.
You might feel that irony is used too stridently and transitions into the negative territory of sarcasm. Our current civil discourse is over run (run over) with both. According to The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, “in irony proper, the speaker is conscious of [a] double meaning and the victim unconscious [of it]; in sarcasm both parties understand the double meaning.” [p. 407, Enlarged Edition, 1974.] Sarcasm is purely a verbal construct and is not actionable in the way that situational or dramatic irony are however.
Much of what we read or hear in these times is disingenuous, is blatant misinformation meant to be taken literally by the uneducated, the unquestioning. The uninformed do not see the opposition between what is falsely promised, expected, from the reality of what is being done (or undone) on their behalf.
Late night TV hosts see through this current bait-and-switch verbal trickery and adopt a sarcastic tone: both themselves and their audience are on the same page, delighted to stick-it to the object of ridicule. In this context it is usually in a skewering ‘good fun’ as the audience is sympathetic to the intent. It might be termed serious humor as it mocks, pokes fun, and chastises. It may be the only way to defend one’s self from a humorless bully.
If you Google “Meanings associated with colors” you come up with a chart of “Warm,” “Cool,” and Neutral” labels. For Red, in the first category: “Passion, love, anger, danger, energy and strength” are listed, but extended a little, you could add “cease and desist,” “censorship,” “STOP.” For Blue, “Calmness, trust, intelligence, loyalty and sadness” are listed. Phrases such as “true blue,” “blue bloods,” or “blue moon” emphasize the rare and/or the valued.
Among the qualities associated with orange, yellow, green, purple, black, white, gray, and brown there is no mention of irony though such abstracts such as joy, optimism, hope, peace, harmony wisdom, elegance, purity, simplicity, sophistication, reliability, and restraint are. Maybe because irony isn’t in the same family as these abstracts, it isn’t assigned a color. What color is your irony?
In studying group dynamics, we know that people have different colored personalities, (usually blends of red, yellow, green, and blue). Though we sometimes think of a ‘colorful character’ as one who is vibrant, lively, and has a zest for life, ironically it can also be used pejoratively for one who, by quirky or amusing behavior, calls attention to him/her self and not necessarily in the best way.
Rainbows of as many colors, on the other hand, are hopeful signs and considered in a positive light. Perhaps irony should be just left without color and color blind.
Share this post with your friends.
