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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Key Examples in Brideshead Revisited
Part 1, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Sebastian in Danger:
In Part 1, Chapter 3, Sebastian writes to Charles, summoning him to Brideshead and claiming that some sudden disaster has struck. Charles worries that Sebastian's life is in danger and makes haste to the Flyte family's estate, only to learn from Julia that Sebastian's "emergency" is a slight ankle fracture. The following is a prime example of situational irony:
“Didn’t he say? I expect he thought you wouldn’t come if you knew. He’s cracked a bone in his ankle so small that it hasn’t a name. But they X-rayed it yesterday, and told him to keep it up for a month. It’s a great bore to him, putting out all his plans; he’s been making the most enormous fuss [...]."
[...]
“How did he do it?”
“Believe it or not, playing croquet. He lost his temper and tripped over a hoop. Not a very honorable scar.”
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—War:
In the latter half of Part 1, Chapter 4, Sebastian and Charles abscond to Venice for the summer to visit Lord Marchmain and his mistress. During this time, the two boys live life in idle repose, spending Lord Marchmain's money and doing as they please. While recounting this time spent together, Charles recalls a comment Sebastian made about the Colleoni statue, invoking dramatic irony for the reader:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The fortnight at Venice passed quickly and sweetly—perhaps too sweetly; I was drowning in honey, stingless.
[...]
I remember Sebastian looking up at the Colleoni statue and saying, “It’s rather sad to think that whatever happens you and I can never possibly get involved in a war.”
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Oxford Without Anthony:
During his first year at Oxford, Charles finds himself ensconced in a friend group that includes both Sebastian Flyte and Anthony Blanche. The latter boy is infamous amongst Oxford undergraduates, so much so that Charles’s cousin Jasper warns him against associating with Anthony. Given the intense scrutiny Anthony’s peers subject him to, what occurs after he leaves Oxford is a prime example of situational irony. Note the following passage from Part 1, Chapter 5, which brings this irony to light:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Anthony Blanche’s set broke up and became a bare dozen lethargic, adolescent Englishmen. Sometimes in later life they would say: “Do you remember that extraordinary fellow we used all to know at Oxford—Anthony Blanche? I wonder what became of him.” They lumbered back into the herd from which they had been so capriciously chosen and grew less and less individually recognizable.
Related Themes:
