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Allusions
Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Sales Acumen:
As if to add insult to injury, Denise’s colleagues all detest her for being pretty and learning the job quickly. Zola uses situational and dramatic irony to highlight the conflict between Denise's actual performance and her colleagues' perception of her:
A further torment was that the whole department was against her. To her physical martyrdom was added the surreptitious persecution of her colleagues. Two months of patience and gentleness had not so far disarmed them. [...] Later on, as she quickly became accustomed to the workings of the shop, and proved herself to be a remarkable saleswoman, there was indignant amazement, and from then on the girls conspired never to let her have a good customer. Denise was thus completely abandoned, and they were all utterly hostile to the ‘unkempt girl’, whose life was a perpetual struggle; in spite of her courage it was with the greatest difficulty that she succeeded in keeping her place in the department.
Related Themes:
