Previous
Tone
Definition of Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean... read full definition
Key Examples in On Beauty
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Rebecca West:
The author employs verbal irony and allusion in a passage from the middle of the novel where Kiki stands alone in her kitchen gazing glumly at a button on her fridge. The button bears a famous quip about feminism from the 20th-century writer and journalist Rebecca West:
Still, in the top left-hand corner, a huge button bought in New York’s Union Square in the mid eighties: I myself have never been able to figure out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. Long ago someone had spilled something on it, and the quote had yellowed and curled like parchment, shrinking between its plastic and metal covers.
Related Themes:
