The Irony Cycle The Picaresque Novel American Literature Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Unit Mrs. Sikora

Verbal Irony A character says one thing, but suggests or intends the opposite. The readers are always aware of the verbal irony. Sometimes the characters are not. For example: Noticing that Suzie is having a bad hair day, Alice says, “Suzie, your hair looks so cute!” Therefore, Suzie might actually think her hair does look cute. She might not catch Alice’s irony.

Dramatic Irony The reader sees that the meaning intended by a character’s words or actions is the opposite of what is true OR readers know something that characters do not know. For example: Suzie tells Alice, “You’re my best friend” – unaware that Alice has made a date with Suzie’s boyfriend for the coming weekend. Poor Suzie…she is a victim of dramatic irony!

Situational Irony: The situation defies normal cause/effect relationships, or seems to be unfair or unexpected. For example: On the date, when trading family histories with Suzie’s boyfriend, Alice discovers that he is her (Alice’s) long-lost first cousin. Alice gets what she deserved…she can’t date Suzie’s boyfriend because he is her cousin!

How were the previous examples a cycle? The Irony Cycle included the same people (Suzie and Alice) The Irony Cycle included the three types of irony: verbal, dramatic, and situational Usually, the reader is aware of the irony in the situation long before the characters are.

Does irony always have to be in a circle? No! Readers may see only verbal, dramatic, and situational irony at separate times or not appearing in a cycle at all. The three types of irony do not always have to be present in a piece of literature.

Picaresque Novel: What is it? The main character is usually a social misfit, a con artist, and a skilled liar. The main character makes his living more through his wits than his hard work. Usually, it’s a popular subgenre of prose fiction and is often satirical, depicting in realistic and often humorous detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class.

Satirical Novel: We already know the following, but let’s review: AOHF is a satire that targets racism, religion, superstition, and social pretensions. It uses examples of these to point out the flaws in them. AOHF includes examples of the three types of irony, which lend to the novel’s satirical effect. AOHF is a string of episodes where Huck plays the prominent role. It is picaresque because of who Huck is and how his story is told.