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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 The Pilgrim’s Progress
Part 1: Talkative
Explanation and Analysis—He Doth Love to Talk:
As Christian and Faithful walk along together, they encounter a man named Talkative who claims he's also on the way to the Celestial City. Talkative's talk is an example of situational irony, because although his choice of religious subjects and his eagerness to discuss them leads readers to expect that he's a good pilgrim, the reality is that he's a fake:
What thing so pleasant, and what so profitable, as to talk of the things of God? What things so pleasant? [...] for instance, if a man doth delight to talk of the History or the Mystery of things; or if a man doth love to talk of Miracles, Wonders, or Signs, where shall he find things recorded so delightful, and so sweetly penned, as in the Holy Scripture?
Related Themes:
